valve cover

 Early, the alarm made strange noises, and was quickly silenced. Downstairs the time was taken to wash carefully and then to make breakfast. Today is an avocado day, the fruits have been on the shelf for long enough for their flesh to soften and to become edible. There are plenty of eggs, crush the one empty egg carton underfoot and discard it in the waste paper container. It was crushed so that it would take up less space. Egg cartons are a wonderfully ecologhical package, they will turn into waste paper with no problems and hardly any residue.

Breakfast upstairs, read the news. There is much happening in the world, the world is turning back into a hostile place in many of those parts that had been peaceful. The town is silent, it is early on Saturday morning.

When the news has been read and all is done about the room, when the pills have been taken and the clothes put on it is time to leave for the repair shop. This is a Saturday morning repair that was offered last week.

Walk through the town that seems so completely asleep at half past eight in the morning. There is hardly any traffic either, and those ten kilometres to the shop are done in quarter of an hour. The mechanic is there already, he proudly shows the new part. It is all made of plastic.

Exactly like the one that is dirty and covered in oil.

The bonnet of the car is raised and with no waste of time the covers are removed from the cylinder heads, the ignition coil assembly is removed, the connectors are put to one side, and the old plastic lid is removed.

Admire the two cam shafts, both now plainly in view.

Then the new valve cover  is carefully placed on the cylinder head and all the screws tightened. The remaining bits and pieces are assembled and the job is done.

Later, take the car on a drive. No faults are apparent, it seems to be using much the same amount of fuel as it did before. It has become impossible to provoke smoke from the exhaust pipe. That is a good sign.

After filling the tank at a strange petrol station return home.

That was the mornings work.