Hmm, that was an exciting weekend.

As soon as the sun comes out, I'm out too. Outside messing with my MZ Skorpion. A few days ago I met up with fellow MZer, Norman Wade. He's from Glasgow way somewhere but was in Aberdeen working and had agreed to lend me his compression tester, so the Granite City seemed like a good place to meet up - in the grounds of Forresterhill Hosp incidentally. We nearly got our heads chopped off by the incoming rescue helicopter - d'you know, considering how much time I spend in the town, that's the first time I've seen the chopper at the hosp. Anyway, since I've had the Skorp, which must be about 3 or 4 years now, it has used large amounts of oil. I know where its going, its going out of the air box breather and all over the swing arm and shock, but luckily not on the tyre. By way of narrowing down the options, Norm suggested I do a compression test to make sure rings and valve guides and all those techy bits are ok. So picture the scene; the sun is shining, the MZ is wheeled out of the shed, I run the engine to warm it up (as instructed) and get to work removing the fairing so that the tank can come off. All goes well until I have to locate the plug spanner. By the time I find it, the engine is cold and I've had to give in and have lunch before carrying on or I would have turned into a pile of bones. So at last, revived and refreshed, I can get the plug out, and get moving. In with the tester, which needs an adapter on the end as the MZ plug is only a wee thing. Ignition, full throttle and wow! The needle shoots up to around 150 psi. Reset and do it again. And again. And again. And just the once more. Ok, go on then, one more time. Each time I get a reading of 150 or thereabouts which according to Norm is spot on. Good news, so I unscrew the tester only to find that the adapter is stuck in the plug hole. End of play time then, hope it isn't cross threaded.... I can't think of a way to remove it apart from maybe a drop of Locktite on the offending bit and screw it back together until it sets. So in disgust, the bike goes away (so much for my afternoon outing) and I move onto catching the sheep so that they can be wormed, vaccinated and have their feet trimmed.

This was the first time Puppy has been used to actually 'work' the sheep. Oh, we've done many practice runs, gathering them up, and moving them around the field, but this time he had to pen them. He did extremely well (when he started listening to me and not doing what HE thought best!) and only lost one mark for one escapee, which he duly re-caught. So that's half the flock spring cleaned and the other half to look forward to catching over the next few weekends. And at least there was only one hail shower.

A little bit later, Sid phoned to enquire about coming to the Large Lunch - to which he is most welcome, and so are you, but I was telling him of my compression tester quandary and much to my amazement (and relief) he too suggested Locktite. And then so did Norm. And Norm wasn't too cross that I might have broken his tester...oops...So roll on the next fine day when I've time and we'll get it all under control.

On the subject of control, I'm supposed to be collecting Cubbie on Tuesday. The plan was (notice the use of the past tense there) that I would drive to Perth in the van for my work briefing, and head over to Shorty's on my way north. As the tax runs out tomorrow, I went online to renew it....only for the DVLA, bless them, to inform me that MoT either wasn't valid or wasn't computerised (ie "on the system"). Bother. Please everyone, cross all your fingers, toes and anything else crossable tomorrow at 7am, and pray that it passes the MoT, and also pray that I can find the registration docs cos I think the lady at the PO will want to see them before handing me a HUNDRED quids worth of paper.

Can't wait til next Sunday tho....see y'all at the Large Lunch in Fyvie, 11am SHARP!