Herbie Special Award Citation announced–plus Cheap Little Gadget award

Every year we make a Herbie Special Award to a person or persons that have helped or inspired us in some way.  Previous special awards have been given for Fortitude, for Caring Enough to Do Something, and for Hospitality, to name but a few.  We have thought long and hard about a citation for the winner this year and have decided that it should be

The Herbie Special Award (2014)

for Sufferance and Munificence

(There’s posh)

Confused?  I’ll explain all tomorrow when we announce this year’s very worthy winner(s?).

While we wait for the big moment -   How about this last tiny trinket to keep us going.  Funny how sometimes something really small and cheap can solve an irksome problem.  I haven’t bought any posh gadgets for Herbie this year, (unless you call a new fuel lift pump a posh gadget) but here are three tiny things to vie for an award.

First Silica Gel sachets. 

Dirt cheap I know and easy to get off Amazon or ebay.  Herbie’s previous owners stuffed a couple of them at the back of the instrument panel to lessen the tendency of the dials to mist up on cold damp mornings.  We now use them in another way.  You might recall that Herbie has DiY secondary double glazing.  Just a wooden frame covered in strong PVC clear tent window stuff.  These are made to fit pretty well into the window frames and we put them in for winter only.  They really do cut down condensation, but unless you put them in on a really dry day, a bit of residual mist can appear later. Also I don’t suppose the push fit frames are totally air tight. Now we just pop a Silica Gel dessicant sachet or two in the space.  Does it work? Seems to so far.

Next Cable Tie Mounts

For all I know these have been around for years (I’ve led a sheltered life) but I have only recently found them. They come in fetching black or white and have an adhesive backing and they cost next to nothing. Great for fixing a cable where you can’t or don’t want to bang in nailed cable clips.  I daresay they don't stick to everything but on Herbie they certainly stick to wood panelling ok.

Lastly a solution looking for a problem.  Rope shackles

I’m sure Tradline Fenders won’t mind me pinching their photo when I say that’s where we bought ours.  They call them Soft Shackles and when we saw them we couldn’t resist getting a couple although I confess we haven’t found the ideal use for them yet, but I’m sure that’s because we just haven’t got round to it.  They do the job of a normal shackle, but softly and flexibly.  Apart from boaty things, I suppose you could use them to clip something to a backpack or a belt. Anything really.They are unbelievably strong. A 5mm polyester one can take a load of a ton and a half and weighs only 5 grams.  The point really is though that they wont scratch paintwork or rattle in the wind.  There is a knot at one end and a loop at the other.  The clever bit is that the loop can easily be pulled wider to slip over the knot, and then under tension it closes up to grip behind the knot. Follow this link to see.  Anyone out there using them?

I’d really like to give the Award to the shackle but that would be unfair as we haven’t used one in anger yet.  So my vote for Best Small Cheap Gadget goes to the Cable Tie Mounts.

Have a great Christmas Eve and come back soon to see who basks in the glow of the 2014 Special Award.