waste of time

 stand in front of the house, lean on the wall, admire the bare legs of the girls passing by all eager to go shopping and to strut their stuff in the old town. Mens fashions seem scruffier, they walking around like bandy legged bulldogs with arms loosely hanging to either side in a simian sort of way. The use of the body seems dictated by fashion too.

Wait, and after quite a while, the son comes out with the tiny crankshaft belonging to his scooter in his hands. He has packed it in a cloth Aldi back, those useful inventions which, when treated carefully, remain useable for a surprisingly long time. The way is to lead to the scooter repair shop, perhaps they can help him there to loosen the bearings from their seats on the shaft. The old bearings are noisy, they need to be replaced.

Walk through the town in the heat, the sun is blazing down today. The street offers little shade, and it is quite a long way to the mechanics garage. It is near to the son's primary school. 

After half an hour stand in front of the locked wire mesh gate to the mechanics yard.

He is on holiday.

Father and son agree that it would have been wise to telephone in advance, to ask. But it is too late for that now. Start to walk back, using a different route down by the river.

Before reaching the river, pause to admire the steel railway bridge, a construction of girders, sheet steel, and countless rivets. It was built in the middle of the last century.

Walk along the river, It is too hot for the son, he is a redhead with fair skin, and does not take kindliy to this overdose of ultraviolet.

The new beer garden is empty, it is too early in the day.

It is uninviting, placed as it is out in the open with limited shade. But later on people will go there to get thoroughly and uncontrollably pissed, as they always do. This is Bayerische Bierkultur, or Bavarian beer culture to you.

The son is suffering because of the heat, and the father is not finding it pleasant either.

So take the most direct route possible, lingering in the cool underpass by the river.

The walking about town has led to discussion as to methods of removing the two tight bearings. On returning home we try one of these, a hole is drilled in a piece of wood so that it may function as a holder when clamped into the vice.

The try the dislodgment thing again, with a sudden movement the bearing is released from the shaft.

As easy as that.