Life is riddled with a procession of minor impediments

[JOE SOAP]

My memory of it is very vague, but I dimly remember having like weird rings of sores around my torso and being off school for a few days.

Never had it myself but that sounds like Shingles more than Chicken Pox all right.

[TordelBack]

Kids can indeed get shingles (my brother did, admittedly mildly), even very young ones, as long as they've had even a mild dose of chicken pox previously.  My mother had the most horrible case of shingles many years ago, hence my real sympathy for Judge Jack.

Maybe our health services should get the finger out and vaccinate against chicken pox in the first place: I was a bit annoyed to watch my eldest really suffer with it while his Australian cousins will never have to have it.  Treating it as some sort of rite of passage ignores the potential problems down the road, not to mention the economic cost of having each kid (and thus one parent) out of school and/or childcare for at least a full week.

[Spikes]

Firstly id like to say thanks Guys - appreciate the concern, and well wishes.
At present ive got it relatively mild - though i do have a particulary nasty crop of blisters on the back of my neck.

Now if you'd have asked me about Shingles this time yesterday, i wouldnt really have been able to enlighten you to any real degree, so its been a voyage of discovery - in more ways than one.

It first started to flare up Wednesday, though looking back i think it tried to start last week. Thought the redness, and tenderness was a touch of too much Sun, so treated it to some aftersun lotion....
Thursday, when the blisters started, the Chemist said it looks like a Wasp/Bee sting, and sold me Insect bite cream to rub on it...

Went to my own Pharmacist Friday morning - and the look of horror on the face of the young lass on the counter when i showed her my 'insect bite' led me to ask "is it that bad  , who then recommended me seeing my own GP, and i managed to get seen pretty much there and then.
And yes, its all a throw back to when i had Chicken Pox aged 13.

So on a course of antiviral tablets at present, and hopefully that'll sort it out.

I did break my golden rule, and use Google images regarding this. (never a good idea, if you have an ailment,  ), so i can say that compared to some, im lucky at present.

[vzzbux]

Just like to clear a something up.
I did not leave the board for a short sabbatical because of a few comments or peoples views. It's just the fact that I am rather bored with the internet at the moment and previously have spent far too long on it. Probably mid life crisis or something like that.
I think the problem with the written word is that conclusions are jumped on too quick and things are read into sentences that are not there.
I will be in and out from time to time but not very often.




V

[Charlie boy]

My TV is picking up sound but no picture; the most I can get is the info box telling me what channel I'm on or the digital channel listings screen. I've tried a new cable for the aerial and switching all kinds of cables in the digibox around but really can't be bothered trying the portable TV. I'm now trying to figure out how bad this is. I mean, Dr Who? Not on again until November. Sons of Anarchy? Doubt it'll be on before 2014. The Returned? Only caught the opening two episodes so it's not a major loss. Everybody Loves Raymond? Seen them all.
May try living to the words of wisdom from Grandpa in Lost Boys, e.g. if you have a TV guide, you don't need a TV.

[Charlie boy]

My TV is picking up sound but no picture; the most I can get is the info box telling me what channel I'm on or the digital channel listings screen. I've tried a new cable for the aerial and switching all kinds of cables in the digibox around but really can't be bothered trying the portable TV. I'm now trying to figure out how bad this is. I mean, Dr Who? Not on again until November. Sons of Anarchy? Doubt it'll be on before 2014. The Returned? Only caught the opening two episodes so it's not a major loss. Everybody Loves Raymond? Seen them all.
May try living to the words of wisdom from Grandpa in Lost Boys, e.g. if you have a TV guide, you don't need a TV.

D'oh! Walking Dead returns Saturday.

[Trout]

It may have been pissing down with rain in Scotland but here in Canada it's been 30 degrees and torture. The humidity makes it feel much hotter, around 38 to 40. Bizarrely, I'm wishing for some rain!

[TordelBack]

It may have been pissing down with rain in Scotland but here in Canada it's been 30 degrees and torture. The humidity makes it feel much hotter, around 38 to 40. Bizarrely, I'm wishing for some rain!

I have heard that some countries have a season between Spring and Autumn, but it's interesting to read a first-hand account. 

How are the kids coping with the heat, Mike?  Is it just those of us of a certain age cohort that consider anything over 19 C to be an unreasonable imposition?

[shaolin_monkey]

I have heard that some countries have a season between Spring and Autumn, but it's interesting to read a first-hand account. 

We do have seasons!  Cold, then cold and wet.

[I, Cosh]

It may have been pissing down with rain in Scotland but here in Canada it's been 30 degrees and torture. The humidity makes it feel much hotter, around 38 to 40. Bizarrely, I'm wishing for some rain!

No. It was pretty nice here yesterday.

[Frank]

My TV is picking up sound but no picture; the most I can get is the info box telling me what channel I'm on or the digital channel listings screen. I've tried a new cable for the aerial and switching all kinds of cables in the digibox around but really can't be bothered trying the portable TV.

It's a minor impediment that vzzbux - the guy whose post directly precedes your own - says he won't be checking back in for a while. I'm pretty sure he installs digital telly for a living.

[JOE SOAP]

I will be in and out from time to time but not very often.

That applies to a lot in life.

[Professor Bear]

Huge mouth ulcers all over my tongue, and the inside of my lips and cheeks, for the better part of the last fortnight, but in the last day or so have just gone for broke.  Ow.  No really, ow.
My wisdom teeth coming through didn't hurt this much, and salt and vinegar on my chips was easily the second-worst idea I've had in ages - the first being having chips.

[Michaelvk]

Arrived home this evening and as I'm parking the Landy I notice it's sounding off.. Like something is loose under the bonnet.. Jump out, open it up with the engine running, can't immediately see anything, but definitely notice a klonking noise coming from somewhere down below.. Can't be good..

Go up to the flat, google.. YouTube.. Dinner.. Bit more google.. Everything's pointing to a knackered big end bearing.. Aaaahhhh fuck.. Go back down stairs armed with a torch and start pushing and prodding bits that've bolted to the engine.. Nope. Everything's tight. I have a look underneath. Can't see anything.. Wait.. Is that.. Oil? Ffs.. Follow the oil trail up to: vacuum pump. The very same vacuum pump I told the garage was leaking. The garage assured me all was fine with it and it really didn't need replacing, but an oil breather hose needed to be swapped.. Mkay, well, there's no more leaks now, so I guess they mended it. Clearly not. I check the oil level and it's FUCKING EMPTY! The leaking vacuum pump must've clearly pissed it all out. There was apparently just enough in there to keep the pressure light from coming on, but not enough to stop something in the bowels (my money's on the big end and crank shaft bearings) from eating itself.. God only knows how long it's not had enough oil (it had a service not even 6500km/4000m ago!). Tomorrow it was going to have its timing belt replaced.. Now it's going to have a timing belt, vacuum pump as well as bearings replaced. NOT at the same garage, of course..

Fan-fucking-tasting.

Interestingly, the thing still ran beautifully, had plenty of power and wasn't smoking excessively. Land Rover deserve a lot of praise regarding the 300tdi engine..

Incidentally, when I asked them to look at the injectors I got a " nah, some are louder than others.." Changed 'em myself. They looked like they had been buried in the garden for months from all the gasses blowing past them..

[Michaelvk]

Update: cheaper to put in a second hand engine..