Tag Archives: superglue

Snow, Swans, Superglue

In the end, the snow settled, even if it was a bit wet and half-hearted. It was less evident by the time I arrived at work (it’s always less snowy at that side of town) and by the time we closed it was a bright sunny day with no snow. We do, unsurprisingly, have a touch of snow remaining round the house – shade and a northern aspect hindering the thaw.

I saw two swans flying over on the way to work this morning, and, on he way back from work, saw a cormorant flying over. Judging from its direction of flight it was aiming for the lakes at the Jubilee Campus. I suspect the fish are growing to a decent size as the lakes become more mature.

Did I mention I got some pension documents through the post earlier in the week? I had some more today. Retirement, which had been seeming quite distant, is now a lot closer. Part of this is that although I have over a year until I retire, my work pension is available in a few months. This is what happens when the government tinkers with systems. In the next few months I will be making some important decisions.

One plan I am considering is gathering all my cash together and sticking it all on red for a single spin of the roulette wheel. If it goes well I will have a more comfortable old age. If it comes up black I’m in deep trouble.

After yesterday’s post we had one of those married couple discussions. We have agreed to add superglue to the list of things I am not allowed to handle unless under supervision. If she reads this I’ll probably find that roulette tables have been added too.

The Superglue Story

My glasses fell apart a few months ago. They came off awkwardly and one of the arms fell off. It fitted back on but every so often, including in the middle of my medallion talk, it comes off again. I usually just push it on as I’m not near any glue, and it stays on for a couple of weeks.

Last night it came off and I decided to take the glasses to work in two parts, so that I could glue them using the tube of superglue in the drawer.

Now, I’m not a vain man, and have never let appearance intrude in my spectacle buying, as a look at my glasses collection will tell you. Over the years my long sight has grown longer and my distance vision has improved as my close-up vision has declined. I have worked round this with a selection of cheap non-prescription glasses in a variety of styles, and have a selection of black, brown, zebra-stripe and purple frames to show for it.

The chances of me being voted “Spectacle Wearer of the Year” are not enhanced by this picture.

However, it is undeniable that people do judge on first impressions and if you are wearing the glasses of an idiot, you are going to be judged. That’s why I like the rickety pair in question – a look of tortoiseshell (which I always think looks better on the tortoise) and generous-sized lenses work together to make me look like an eccentric academic, or an apprentice psychopath, and that works well in the shop.

So, back to the shop. It’s 8.55 am and I have a pair of broken glasses on the counter, a detached arm in one hand and a tube of superglue in the other. I decided to control the glue by pushing the threaded part of the broken area into the tube. This, I thought, would cut down on the chances of me sticking the wrong things together.

Rather than go through the whole story I will cut to the final frame . . .

The glasses are back together, and the hinge is almost working as I keep moving it to prevent it clogging up. The keyboard is working, though there are some unpleasant smears on it. My jumper will never be quite the same, and will only now be wearable when i have dirty work to do.

And, after a few minutes of careful tugging, I was able to remove my handkerchief whilst leaving my fingerprints in place.

All in all, not my finest moment.

Then it started to snow . . .

Glasses from Amazon

Glasses from Amazon