8mm shackles

I was intrigued to come across a box of shackles today. The 8mm variety commonly used when towing boats and trailers for $2.00 each.

I was on a mission to replace a small part on my bbq. The ignition wire was exposed, the covering burned to ash by a back flare.

The worst that would have happened is that the exposed wires burned through, shorted and gave me a shock. Without Dad to ask I figured out that that while the voltage was high the amps were low. Enough of a shock to make me jump but more like a static shock than the whack you get from an electric fence (or worse).

I don't want any shock and prefer the electronic ignition over a match to start it, so it was replace the part.

I ended up at a specialist gas business, grimey and very blokish but with the expertise I needed.

Torrow I'll put the bbq back together and test the ignition thingy works. It's not rocket science but sometimes the simple things are trickier than they look. The burner's had a good clean out too so in theory it should be a little rocket ship.

Back to the shackles. They're the kind of thing you can't find when you need one. I wouldn't know where you buy them, maybe at a marine supplies shop. I'd never have guessed a gas business.

It's the sort of task and tale I would have told Dad about.

Today's gratitude: For the energy and effort Mum and Dad put into my school years. Something triggered that thought today and I realised how present they were - school fairs, the school lunch roster, parent teacher interviews, and sports. What a lovely memory.