28.10.2025

 ~o~

  Tuesday 28th 42F/5.6C [7.40] Two, long, wet days with wind ahead. Dry at the moment. Tne room has dropped from 71F at bedtime to 66F this morning. 22-19C.

 Up at 6.40 after another quiet night. 

 7.45-8.05. Cold, blowing a gale and raining. A brisk walk. Two large, dark brown birds of prey were out on the field again. I stayed behind the hedge. One moved further away. The other remained. 

 There was a story in the news about walking and survival rates into old age. The gist of which was walking is good for you. Several YouTube medical "influencers" suggest specific exercises are better. I disagree. There are so many other benefits to walking. Not least getting out of the house. I can see how much more upright I am walking now. After being shocked by my bent appearance in the security cameras.   

 I shall drive to visit my English friend. Gales and rain are no fun at all on a bike.  

 It went well enough on the way there. Then the Morris misbehaved on the way back. With the engine running rough, cutting out and backfiring. I had to stop and try to adjust the points. Which were so tired that it was all but impossible to get any gap at all.

 I rang a contact to ensue he had spares for the distributor. Only to discover the car would not run at all. So I had to change and jump on the e-bike. 22km later I was back home with new points and a rotor. I have a hairdressing appointment tomorrow morning. So I hope to swap the points first. To avoid riding there in the rain.

 18.30 Working in semi-darkness was no fun. The points are in place but the new rotor doesn't fit. The motor turned over fast  but wouldn't fire. I have my doubts about the points gap. I need better light and a feeler gauge. I was working by a feeble LED torch. 

 After a bit of research I think I have earthed one or both internal wires going to the points. Only the bent contact spring should be connected to these wires. Not the support post. The new points had a different arrangement of insulation to the original. The hat shaped, insulating washer wouldn't fit. I'll try pointing it inwards tomorrow. So that the projection passes through both loops. Searching for a decent image of this connection was hopeless. The verbal descriptions on the Morris forums made no sense in the context of the new points I have now. Only the original part. The Haynes manual doesn't help. 

 

 

  ~o~