Shuttling

Angie off to see her father mid-morning and I didn’t have to wait too long to hear the news that he was showing signs of being cantankerous and wanting to go home despite the dozen lines of tubing attached to him. Great news and the very first positive step. She was allowed to feed him his first “solids” and even allow him to drink a few sips of lemonade.
 
I would have liked to have gone but we had one important meeting today – to collect father’s grandson and wife from Memmingen airport after their two weeks in Majorca. We have their car at our place and any delay with us getting home in time would be problematic.
 
I took the opportunity to repair our ancient horse muck wheelbarrow’s wheel which was losing air. Removed it only to find the leak was right on the elbow of the inner tube to the valve. I knew it was pretty pointless trying to patch it but tried. As it was drying started to clean the wheel brackets and ended up with one in my hands, the welding completely rusted. Not surprising after 15 years of tons of muck, ammonia and water. Now I have few craftsmen's skills but at the top of my list of incompetence, just behind all matters electric, is welding. This is not helped by having a cheap supermarket electric welding machine but is made slightly better by my ex-colleague and friend Tom’s recommendation 10 years ago to buy a battery powered welding visor. One of the best purchases I have ever made. Doesn’t improve my welding but at least prevents the blindness I subjected my eyes to in the past.
 
So welded the bracket (the right one in the photo) and then as it went so well, decided to adorn the once round protection bar at the very front which had long ago been worn away,  by welding on a used horseshoe. That went well too. Sometimes my work holds – the two strange “skids” on the two back rests of the wheelbarrow that I welded on after they rusted through a few years ago are still doing good service. A nut and bolt replaced but couldn’t sadly put it all together as the inner tube fix didn’t work and will have to get a new one.
 
Late afternoon checked on the flight from Majorca which should have taken off by then and to my horror saw it was scheduled to land almost 30 minutes early. It was now 6:00 pm and it was due to land at 6:54 pm. Angie wasn’t yet home and Luna had to be walked. I squad marched Luna around the block even meeting Mr&MrsB walking their Donna and Gretchen and looking astounded as I said I wasn’t able to stop for a chat. Phoned Angie just before we got home from our 28 minute, 2.1km walk and luckily she was back. Sprang into the bathroom, washed my hair of smouldering welded hair, change of clothes and we jumped into two cars.
 
As we went through the village we saw the Ryanair flight in the final moments of it’s landing approach. Dumped Angie’s car at the McDonalds next to a motorway junction and went to the airport calling them on the way. They were in fact only just disembarking so I let Angie out at the terminal and parked in a side street to wait. Saves paying as only 10 minutes free in the “Kiss & Fly” official carpark. Watched a lovely sunset and admired the airport's fire brigade's lovely mock plane used for training. Looks like they are prepared for Ryanair getting into the Space Shuttle business. Lovely cute thing complete with engines and a stair exit. Certainly gives you a nice warm feeling of being in safe hands at the airport.
 
Took a last sad photo of the Tobi’s lovely Audi which I have been admiring parked at our place for the last two weeks. Then the call came, delivered the car and Tobi drove us to the McDonalds where we all sat down for a “meal”. Not been in one for years and all very different. No more waiting but get a chip card thingy that allows staff to find your table and bring you the food. We had suggested this strange event as I knew they would want to get on the road back home and not mess about with a protracted meal at our place. So having heard and seen photos of some of the wonderful sunny days in Majorca, we said our farewells, we both set of home in our respective cars.
 
 I love being around young people. Blows all the bull**** and depression that we get from our politicians out the window. Should be a law that all MPs be under 40 and we allow them to make as many mistakes as they like through inexperience. OK only one mistake per topic but I know they will learn from them. Our “know it all” senior politicians never do.


Geotag on McDonalds as one can see half way between airport and our village.