Greedbay.

I just took all the new stuff off ebay,just isn't worth the aggro.I'm going to try Ebid,the fees make more sense anyway.
Come and have a look,see what you think.

Ebay.Whens the funeral?.

I tried ebay to see if it will be a quick way to shift some gear.I used it a long while ago for some years but the high ffes,crummy feedback rules and insistance on paypal made me move more to my web site.
This latest excursion onto ebay was a disaster.There are hardly any buyers on there and most of those left have deep pockets and long arms.I thought this country was in bother but didn't realise how far it had spread,even stuff at really low prices is hard to shift in any quantity.
Trawling ebay for stuff to buy is a waste of time.It use to be full of quirky stuff and bargains,now its just a glorified Tesco or Amazon.
What a shame.

And its goodnight from him

After a great deal of soul searching I've decided to retire (well sort of).The tools business will be run down and I might go back into the car business or emigrate.Either way Mr Browns Britain holds no more real interest for me.

Rule Britannia.(if the rest of the world don't mind)

I have been trying to find suppliers who can guarantee the tools I sell in my shop and on the internet are made in this country.So far I've drawn a blank.
A country that sent engineering products all over the world now seems to be a shipping agent for China.
I found one firm in Sheffield who've made spanners and the like for years but even they are now considering importing stuff from the far east as the price of labour and raw materials climb.No wonder China is the biggest polluter in the world,it makes more stuff than anyone else in the world.How all this pollution in making the stuff and then shipping it sits with all the aims of the 'greens' seems less important than the interests of big business,but its ashame that people are prepared to buy just about anything as long as its cheap,forgetting the real cost is spread far wider.
Sad.

Diesels.The infernal combustion engine.

I've been trying to improve the Nissan diesel in my old taxi.It might be long lasting and reliable but its a bit agricultural and though they clatter on for years its not exactly relaxing to drive.
I tried all sorts of additives and the one thats impressed so far is the Redex 0 to 60 cetane booster.The engine seems to run smoother with it,maybe it improved performance and mpg but I haven't really tested it but the engine is definately quieter.
I'm now going to try some low ash two stroke oil,I've read on some forums that this should achieve the same sort of results and with the sulphur content of diesel fuel being reduced it might help lubricate the pump and injectors.
I'll see how I get on.

Don't feed the birds?.

Most days I put some stuff out for the resident pigeons and seagulls especially in the winter.Two reasons,One I feel sorry for the poor beggars and Two because the council tell you not to.
They're all gods creatures after all and those who moan about the noise of seagulls might like to think how glad my old mate who went stone deaf at the age of twenty would like to hear them again.

Global warming avoids Lowestoft for a day or so.

The fish docks and port were covered by snow overnight but it's slowly thawing.Overnight it was way below zero.At this time of year it's normally a bit warmer right on the coast as the winds warm as they cross the sea.
In town many roads weren't gritted and it seems that councils now make no real effort to keep paths free from snow and ice

Phantom jobs but real job losses.

The employment picture in Lowestoft has taken another hard knock (in fact its taken a few).Jeld wen,a major employer who make wooden furniture has gone down the pan and Elizabeth hotels who own a lot of property in lowestoft (some of which was to have been improved) have gone into administration.
The EDP and Lowestoft Journal can drivel on about the phantom 10,000 new jobs all they like but things are pretty bad for the town at the moment and it doesn't look as though in reality things are going to get any better.
Meanwhile,the ludicrous 'Waveney Campus' project has finally vanished without trace.Millions of pounds have been squandered on this monument to its stupidity by our council,the council tax payers of the county will be paying for something that never was,neber should have been and never now will be for years to come.

A huge red barge is moved into Lowestofts harbour getting ready to move one of the modules that have been built at SLP.Even though the firm has gone into administration it still has work to finish and will be a major employer in lowestoft for some months to come.

Phantom firms for phantom employees.

According to our easily conned local paper the EDP,Lowestoft has become the most enterprising town in the UK.So enterprising in fact that it has won a prize for establishing 5000 new firms provisding 10,000 new jobs.
How on earth can this be true?.(It isn't) There are no new shops,no new entries in the phone book or any trade directories,all we see are big firms in trouble like SLP,and more and more boarded up and empty shops and properties.
Its tripe pure and simple,pure invention put about to bloster the image of failed local and national policies and repeated ad infinitum by its tame parrot,the local press.
A shamefull lie hiding the real sorry state this town and so much of the UK has fallen into.