Kaput Kinforest kf550.

Nearly 2 years old and finished, still plenty of tread but it's out of round, the tread has come away from the belt and rendered it useless unless you're in the Philippines where vulcanizers (their spelling) can weave magic on anything.
A real shame as I've absolutely loved these tyres until now, they handle fantastic wet or dry and have a more civilised feel than the original Goodyears which I hated, as well as wearing vastly less.

Daisy looks very ordinary with the spare fitted.
I've ordered a pair of Kingrun T150 to sort out this murky mess, I'll fit them as a pair on an axle and I'll mount one of the current Kinforest onto the spare rim so then all tyres will be 175/65-14, whereas stock was 185/60-14, but I'm not a fan of the current fashion for skinny sidewalls.

 Not mine but my Mother was driving on this until I changed it today. I can really say anything due to triggering tears but I might set this as an example of the effects of smoking, which are more than a dollar a stick in Australia.

A sad look for a champion.

My favourite camera, which is usually the one that sits in my pocket whenever leaving home is gravely ill ATM, it took a tumble into the floodwater when I tripped over the other day and it flew out of my pocket into the drink, took ages to find too but these things are not designed to be drowned.
I've given it much drying and it needs more, but I feel I'll have to disassemble the lens to clean it, until I get my eyes done that will have to wait.
This Olympus SZ-16 has been a real budget champion that gets results above its budget, I took it to the Philippines in 2013 and was extra happy with the choice, I've fixed it over the years as it's been such a joy to operate, just enough control to do the job but little of the complex extra stuff that only massages egos. Things like a flash that won't work until you raise it are a thing that's helps to like it, other stuff like Olympus's computer interface which unlike the other brands gets it right.

Another angle that shows I've undone the back in order to help it dry. In the past I've replaced the viewing screen which broke after a tumble, and I've cleaned the sensor a couple of times due to dust specks, all cameras gather dust specks but Jimby is the type who'll endeavour to fix issues like that.

This is a trial shot after it was dried a bit, more work ahead for Jimby, or if lucky just time, but at least there's still hope for life.

Soggy bottom Daisy.

After a mainly fine day with a mere 20 mm of rain until five in the afternoon, the sky started to rain and it didn't want to quit, it dropped another 450 mm until about one this morning, we seem to keep dodging bullets with flooding but this was a very close call and we now must have a bit of a dry patch. A very solid wet season here so far, December 1000 mm, January 800, and so far three days into February 750+ mm, all of it flowing to waste in the Coral Sea because there's no dam on the Herbert River, which is usually (but not this time) the cause of our floods.

I'll have to investigate this a bit more.

I see some shelters being constructed in town. Naturally they appear to be from a taxpayer handout and possibly a $160,000 one for I don't know how many shelters (I'd be surprised if it's more than four given the waste I see too often)
This one is outside the hospital, and is of no use whatsoever to the hospital due to there being no simple access from directly outside, folk would have to walk along to the vehicle entry before being able to turn and enter. However it's purpose may be for a rest place for people who are walking, so thus possibly admirable. The pity for us is we on Fairford Rd been imploring council to merely provide a seat somewhere near Log Creek/Neilsen Park but have seen our hope buried in a mire of red tape possibly spurred on due to us being the poor end of town.

The usual wet at birthday time.

I popped out early to say Happy Birthday to Grace, they don't count anymore but I still feel more comfortable paying a visit.
Interesting to me is the brass plaques like hers are good in the rain but the writing on the stone ones like the one behind her become very difficult to read.

A lake has formed to the side of Grace's grave, usually I'd drive out that way but not today.

A genius bodge that I can't approve of.

My Mother bought a neglected and run down 626 Mazda that I've been working on getting road worthy for a while, this is the reason I haven't been able to bleed the right rear brake, someone has blocked the pipe where it joins the hose with a shortened pop rivet, the good is it really worked very well, but for me the bad is that I expect the caliper to leak after removing the rivet and reconnecting the line.

I'm actually relieved as I was in the throes of working out how to diagnose the ABS unit and figure out plumbing, now at least I expect a far simpler job.

I have to use a camera these days to be able to see things, without the photo I had no real idea as my eyes don't work well enough, reason too for my being very slow updating this weblog as I really am an invalid these days, at least until they do that quick and fairly simple cataract operation, but they do have to keep a lengthy waiting list or they'll do themselves out of a job.

Recycled brake pad.

My Mother bought a car (1999 GF 626 Mazda) which needs a bit of work before putting it on the road, this was a rear brake pad, which in a huge surprise to me had the friction material fall off when I inspected the rear bits, through neglect the rear calipers had stopped functioning some time ago anyway, very questionable if any work is warranted but the car still looks pretty good so I'll proceed.

It now graces the end of my pushbike's prop stand so hopefully I can now safely park it on soft ground without it digging in and taking a tumble. Horrible weld but I could barely see what I was doing and had to take a photo just to check the result, such is the curse of cataracts, which now happily are on the waiting list for an operation.

Of course the Jimby bad luck curse had to continue with the headband of my cheap welding mask breaking, but I just hand held the mask to do the job, and tried a plastic weld job on it afterwards, no doubt it'll break again but I'm so used to breakages it barely raises a D'OH! any more.