Just done an oil and filter change this morning. Now I've got such a high mileage engine I don't work out the service intervals by doing sums in my head. I do this in the spring and the autumn instead, so it happens about every six months. I've also fitted one of those oil valves that go semi-permanently in the sump plug hole, and allow you to drain the oil through the valve when you want to. I've done this because I keep expecting the plug threads in the alloy sump to strip. Every time I tighten the bung these days it feels a bit less positive when I reach maximum tightness. Sure enough I found one or two bits of semi circular swarf of the kind you get when threads are about to strip. So I'm glad I put the valve in, so they don't wear any more. It tightened fairly positively. However, even this wasn't plain sailing. The hexagonal part of the valve disappeared up inside the recess where the plug goes and out of reach of my socket. I "sacrificed" the socket by grinding a taper on it, so it would follow the valve into the recess, and did it up another couple of turns.
I'm also pleased to see that my coolant loss seems to have abated. I put a new cap on the reservoir and that seems to have cured it. The TD5 coolant cap has a tiny breather in it, and after a while these seem to breathe a little too freely and let the coolant out. I'm glad it didn't need anything too much like hard work, like a new head gasket.
So I hope that'll all stay put for another 6 months.