make-do and bodge

In the past I've had problems with rear lights whose mounts required shimming with short lengths of hosepipe to get them to fit my seemingly weird-sized tubes or which didn't seem to have considered that feet or thighs would be fouled if they were fitted as instructed or which found it hilarious to suddenly swivel and dive into the spokes, almost ripping the lens from the battery compartment (back when any battery light worth the money had to contain at least two D-cells). Those I have at the moment aren't too bad except that all the brackets are designed to be fitted either around the seat tube (currently occupied by the lock-containing seatpack) or the right seat stay (where they're hidden by the pannier). A slimmer light might be OK on the left seat stay without being at risk of spoke-diving but I've lost the bracket for the one currently mounted on my hat and broke the other last week taking a shortcut along the lumpy-cobbled north side of George Square. This leaves my two chunky AA-powered TL-AU100BS, one of which has almost all the collimator still intact, but which only pretends to be compatible with a rack-mounting bracket and which couldn't be easily coerced to be attached to the rack using any of the little angle brackets and mending plates I've collected over the years in order to stop Ikeaware falling apart with light use. Fortunately there's a sheaf of plastic tubing leaning against the banister which has yet to be applied to the purpose for which it was purchased and around which light-brackets fit nicely. This version will do for a bit but there shall shortly follow a more double-pannier-or-child-seat-compatible version, as soon a I remember to pop out for some hose clamps at lunchtime. The lightly-knackered TL-LD170 is currently attached to the back of the seat via a co-opted metal band clamp intended for attaching a bottle cage to an un-bossed tube but might be re-formed into another hat-light or possibly adapted for fitting directly onto the mudguard, which will always protrude beyond seats and panniers and luggage.