Am I just unlucky???

So far this week, and its still only Tuesday...

The parable of the burning bush!!!

Monday. Start with good intentions. Remove rear spring from car. Set large bush alight with oxy-torch. Burn out bush. So far so good. So old and stiff now, it takes me about a minute to get off the garage floor and back on my feet. Required spanner is always at other end of garage, requiring me to get up again, and again. Bring all spanners to working position. Lie down on spanners...

Go out and buy two drill bits. Return home and start to drill some spot-welds from a donor door. Drills seem blunt. Have I bought the only un-hardened drills in the shop? First air drill makes a sad noise then stops rotating.

Want to take the top off this donor door to repair one on my G.T.

Finally cut top off door, with oxy-torch, leaving lots of metal to be ground, sawed, filed, cut away. At least I have my donor door top to repair a section rusting on my car.

New bushes in position. Took about three hours to get this far!

New front (half) bushes in place. Need to pull the two halves together with some threaded rod and two nuts. Go out to buy some threaded rod. Buy some nuts to go on threaded rod. Smart assistant asks if nuts are for threaded rod? Yes. Well, you have chosen the wrong nuts. Sort out correct nuts, return home. Smaller bushes on rear of spring were even worse. Spent a lot of time getting them into place, using threaded rod and two nuts... Then find that the spring hanger assembly is a very tight fit in the bushes. Had to devise a clamp using two pieces of threaded rod to get the spring hanger into the bushes. Will have to do the same with the bushes in the chassis. Still have the other spring to do... and the anti-tramp bars...

Battery tray from boot. Fourth bolt rusted in -- took over an hour to get one bolt out.

Tried to remove the battery tray. Three bolts came out ok, but the fourth would not budge. It was a countersunk head, with Allen key hole. Rusted. Couldn't get Allen key to fit. Started to grind it. Stupid, its countersunk. Nothing to grind. Air grinder made some sad noises and refused to turn. Thought I'd drill it out. Drills blunt, see above. Finally battered h**L out of it with lump hammer. Got it out. Must have spent over an hour on that one bolt.

Puller used to pull wheels off tanks. Won't pull a bloody steering arm off a Cortina steering box. Bu**ger

Thought I'd remove steering arm from steering box to replace oil seal. Bought oil seal, tiny little seal, over £6 -- ouch! Bought huge puller on eBay. Fitted huge puller to steering box. Applied massive amounts of torque via a torque wrench. Nothing. Added special penetrating oil. Nothing. Got oxy-torch out. Heated steering arm while under tension from the puller. I'm under tension by now. Nothing. Won't budge. Made a nice little metal collar to protect steering box from fierce heat of torch. Heated again. Nothing. It just sits there ignoring me. Email Bob Woolner, who cheers me up by telling me he had to cut the arm off a Volvo cos the puller wouldn't pull... Maybe I'll try Coke...

Meanwhile, in house, wife finds that new toilet suite fitted a year or more ago was not fixed to the floor. Drive past three D-I-Y shops to find a plumber's shop. Ask to buy a fitting kit for WC. No fitting kit. Sold me two brass screws. Could have got them within a mile of the house but made 12 mile round trip instead. Fitted WC to floor.

Meanwhile broken pipe at end of foul drain, where it goes into cess-pit, is broken. Been that way for 9 months. Have to hose it clear every week. Will have to go out up to my elbows in sh*t and fit a new pipe after I devise a way of blocking off the 4 inch (6 inch??) drain, which is continuously feeding foul water into cess pit.. Been putting it off, and off and off. Must do it this week. Been promised a cold, hard winter ahead... Must do it this week, sunny spells, etc.

Buy new battery for my 1500 Super. Expected to spend £70 but only spend £35. Was I ripped off with previous battery @ £50 some 8 years ago??? Super will not start with new battery. Find broken white wire at brake light switch. It carries 12 volts to the coil. Solder on new connector. Get it started. Runs fine for about 15 minutes then stops. Can't get it started again. Least I've got oil pressure!!!  Drive to plumber's shop. See above. Buy petrol in approved plastic can. Look for plastic flexible pipe for plastic can. Can't find pipe. Fit pipe from metal can. Different thread. It leaks. Pour all petrol from plastic can to metal can. Can't find funnel, so some of it leaks. Can't find correct key for locking petrol cap. Find key on other key-ring. Why is it there??? Then pour all petrol from metal can into Super. Still won't start. Bu**er. Go to local motor factor to buy new condenser (capacitor). Have to order it. In after 3.30pm. Turn engine over to check timing using fan blades and a hand on the alternator pulley. Get large blister on hand from alternator pulley...

Go to use second air drill. Makes funny noises then stops. Have I got some sort of anti-Midas touch???

Check compressor. Small leak of oil where oil should not be. Phone advice line. They tell me don't overhaul the pump otherwise the motor will fail. If I replace the motor the pump will act up. Let it run itself into the ground then buy new one. Had it 12 years. Need SAE 30 oil. I fitted 20/50 oil. No good. Can't get SAE 30 anywhere. Motor factors can't get it anywhere. Machinemart who supplied the compressor, have it. Yippee. Only five litres at a time. I need 1 litre. Bu**er!!!

Friend/business acquaintance rings to complain I sent him a virus. Check computer can find no sign of virus.

Did some training work 3 weeks ago. Gave them massive discount, they promised cheque within 7 days. Three weeks later still waiting for cheque..."Problems with VAT"... I warned you 6 weeks ago when you booked the training there was NO VAT !!! Bu**er!!!

Meanwhile get mood swings, am constantly hungry through diabetes, but told by doctor I'm putting on weight. Wife brings professional scales home, no extra weight recorded. Bl**dy doctors. Have to eat every two hours now or blood sugars crash to all-time lows, and I'm fit for nothing.

Meanwhile, wait for response to Postman job. Now 6 weeks. Am told it is still in the pipeline... So unfit, can't get off the garage floor, how can I do a postman's walk???

Am I unlucky, or WHAT?????

Footnote; I tried to publish this page. Discovered I have exceeded my limit on the server. Spent an hour deleting old files, downloading, uploading etc. Then discovered half the photos did not appear due to having CAPITALS in their file names.....

Am I unlucky, or WHAT?????