It's been one of those days, when things just go pear shaped!!!

[Smallfry]

A few years ago, I had to lay a soil pipe from the garden cabin, across the drive, to the cess pit. I knew the electric incomer and phone cable lay at 90 degrees to where I needed to dig. I needed to dig to just over a metre down, so I hired a CAT scanner. Quickly found the phone cable as it was not far down. Electric was a little more elusive. Found it in the end, but the trace was very faint. Marked the line with paint, and got on with gunning up a strip across the drive. So far so good. Got the mini digger going, and started at the cess pit end, which involved digging backwards across the painted line. No problem though, spotted the line as it appeared below me.

The ground was very hard going, so instead of jumping off and digging by hand, I thought I would take one more bucketful. Of course you can guess the rest.
Luckily, it was dry, and I ended up laying in the trench, preparing and jointing the live cable with a resin filled joint. Very stupid and very dangerous, but it was Sunday, with a bank holiday Monday, and I didn't want to wait OR pay the outrageous call out fee.

Then we have todays shenanigans .........

SWMBO wanted me to help her pull ragwort in our field out the back, so got up early and make a start. There is a large rabbit warren in the woods on the neighbouring property, and a couple of exit holes on our side of the fence. As I got near to one of these, I heard a rushing noise. When I looked into the hole, there was jet of water creating an even bigger hole. Warren was flooded. No idea how long it has been leaking.
Turns out it is the feed pipe for BiLs yard. There is a plastic stop cock in a hole near the gate, about 150 metres away. Tried to turn it off, but plastic handle snaps off in my hand So, back to the house to make a squeeze off tool for the pipe. Half a hour later back of the field to use it. Had to do it blind, as the pipe is submerged nearly up to my armpits. It took a while to do, and nearly lost me spanner, but managed to stop the water. After bailing it all out and waiting for the rest of the water to drain, turns out the pipe is old imperial class D stuff, so of course my boxful or spare fitting for metric blue, are no use at all.

Turns out the cute ickle bunny wunnies have gnawed through the pipe. I bet that surprised them ! So the water is off while I await the correct joiners.

Which brings us on to the next thing..........

 

[Smallfry]

To be continued ....... No time ATM.

 

[Keith 66]

Must be something in the air 'Spark, your mate Paul next door to me had the front end of his van rearranged a few weeks back.

This time of year it is often caused by blokes looking at scantily clad young women on the pavement, Apparently according to insurance companies rear end collisions rise quite a lot in the summer.

 

[Cobbler]

This time of year it is often caused by blokes looking at scantily clad young women on the pavement, Apparently according to insurance companies rear end collisions rise quite a lot in the summer.

A mate’s girl friend caused a rear ender like that years ago. One in front braked for a look, the one behind didn’t! I don’t think she’d cause an accident now though, she’s about 73, still trim, but not quite that trim.

 

[Blobber]

This time of year it is often caused by blokes looking at scantily clad young women on the pavement, Apparently according to insurance companies rear end collisions rise quite a lot in the summer.

I might have done that in my youth driving the works van...

 

[anto44]

There's a saying around here for days like that. I'd be afraid to take a wizz today incase me lad falls off in me hand.

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

I might have done that in my youth driving the works van.

My mate did that too in his first car...I think he'd had the car less than a week! Probably was fixable...until we drove it home and destroyed the engine!

It was an educational experience...mates fiesta bonnet was tent shaped and the front was all caved in...the Volvo he hit had a small scratch in the rear rsj (sorry bumper).

 

[zzr1200]

This time of year it is often caused by blokes looking at scantily clad young women on the pavement, Apparently according to insurance companies rear end collisions rise quite a lot in the summer.

Many many years ago (early 1980's) as a service engineer I'd been to the St Paul's area of London very early in the morning, I'd done the job and had left site, driving back down Leadenhall Street into the morning sun, there was a lovely young woman in a thin cotton summer dress with nothing on beneath it, crossing the road in front of me!!!

Pure heaven, I slowed down as you would just to allow her time to cross the road safely without rushing.......... I even received a knowing smile and wink from her......

Made my week....

 

[Wedg1e]

My parents' house backed onto a former greyhound stadium.
When it closed in the 70s the land was sold for housing.
One day NEEB (the local electricity board) knocked on the door and asked the old man if he would mind them running the mains supply cable through his garden to the new estate as it was the closest (read: easiest for them) point of access.
What's in it for me?, he asked.
We'll lay you a new driveway, spake the clipboard-carrier. However we'll have to add a wayleave to your deeds in case we ever need to dig it up again once you're gone (this is how I recall it being discussed, I was a kid at the time so if the legalese is incorrect you'll just have to let it go ).
As the driveway was concrete-flagged and resembled a tramp's teeth the old man figured he was onto a winner so he said yes.
NEEB trenched the drive, ran the cable and... relaid the old flags a bit more level than they had been. Hardly the tarmac M1 the old man was envisaging.

Anyway, fast-forward 40 years, the old man's long gone although the mother is still going strong(ish). Alas the rear fence to the property (erected by me and the old fella) had finally succumbed to one strong wind too many, no amount of buttresses were going to hold it up so my brother and I decided to bite the bullet and put a new fence up for her.
We got rid of the remains of the old fence and started digging foundations for the new posts that would have shamed London Underground. As my bro was digging the last hole, near the back corner of the garage I suddenly remembered that the mains cable had run along the side of the garage, passing under the fence at the corner of the property.
No problem, he said, it'll be 3 feet deep under concrete slabs with marker tape, yadda yadda.
About ten seconds later his spade made a strange squeaking noise. Dug out the loose stuff by hand and found the cable... about 10 inches down, no concrete slabs, not marked...with a scrape mark where his spade had glanced off it.
He dug another post hole...