Chores

As mentioned in the previous post, Saturday was the most perfect day but I had many errands to do and I would have felt guilty if I tootled the whole day on my bike. I also had an appointment to bring my car in for warranty work and Saturday is most convenient for me since it is awkward on weekdays to bring it in, and is close to home



Also, we have changed our Saturday breakfast location from Kitsilano (Downtown Vancouver) and now meet in Steveston, a small community half an hour south-west of Vancouver. My appointment is at noon so I decided to ride my bike for breakfast, ride over to the Triumph dealer to look at Hi-Viz jackets on clearance, then ride home and switch over to the car



at 8:30am nothing is happening and I have the boardwalk virtually to myself. The skies look threatening but there was no sign of rain. Soon the warmer weather will bring lots of activity here and parking will be at a premium



Pajo's Fish & Chips is a favoured place for locals. They have excellent Fish & Chips and you can select from Cod or Salmon. You will seldom find this place without a sizeable line on a warm summers day

I arrive home to bring my car for service, and a small job which was promised `within the hour` ends up taking three. After that I head home as I am anxious to do my chores to free up my Sunday. It was a struggle trying to start my lawn mower for the first time this year. Yanking on that string nearly yanked my arms out of my sockets. No, I don`t install fuel stabilizer, nor do I change the spark plugs. I just expect that it will start as it does every year.



It`s a bit chilly as I tackle the back yard first. The lawn mower is struggling with the long, wet grass causing it to stop often which requires it to be re-started. I find that the first cut of the year is the most difficult

I am a third of the way working on the front . . . and I have to pause for a rest break



cutting grass is hard work when you would rather be doing something else, like riding. After the lawn is done it is time to remove the snow tires



I have tires mounted on separate rims and I have a small hydraulic jack which makes changing tires a bit easier, but I still use elbow grease to remove the lug nuts. I used to tag my wheels with their location but as my tires are directional I just put them on their respective sides and



select the tires with the best tread to be installed on the front. Soon I am working on my last tire and take a moment to gather my breath. I have a torque wrench and set the lug nuts at 85psi.



I then brought out my portable air compressor and set the tires at 33psi, I am not sure but this pressure sounds about right. I was going to wash the mags as they were dirty when I removed them last Fall but then decided to just wash the whole car. I mean, the car was filthy anyway and what sense would it be to have clean wheels and a dirty body



I`m not used to all this exercise and it felt hot, so I got to wear shorts for the first time this year. Driving a clean car gives you a good feeling



and now I have all day Sunday to myself, without feeling guilty. As you know, Sunday is usually a non-riding day, but Mrs Skoot is away and `when the cat`s away, the mouse will play`