just john

"Outside of a dog, a man's best friend is a book; inside of a dog, it's very dark" Groucho Marx

What's going on in my neck of the woods beggars belief, having bought outside the village for that rural idyll we now find a long strip of land alongside the road divided up into 5 plots and foundations. A new disney take on a charentaise single storey with every bolt-on imaginable showhouse emerging where previously there was only hay . . . Is this a good thing I ask myself?

Need to be mellow when Holding back the years  

hope its not too early for a bit of pizzicato, A very good year [8-|]  

Why do women spend years changing a man's habits and then complain that he's not the man she married? Barbra Streisand [8-|]

Lawns to Le Mans, 100 replies and over 2,250 odd viewings, not even a cross word that I can see; running pretty well I'd say GS, take a house point! [8-|]

Ladies giggling in the men's restroom at the Sofitel in NZ (Safe - Really) [8-|]  

Treat a woman like a horse, and a horse like a woman, then they'll both work for you - Elizabeth Arden [8-|] (she said it, not me!)

Even Reminiscing isn't what it used to be! True though, MotoGP is more exciting these days. hrrrmph, Wimin eh! I can't say it was my worst meal though I've been in a quandry ever since, I thought it was the best steak I'd ever eaten in any restaurant, but after our friends told us it was la viande chevaline my good wife persuaded herself she'd better be ill as soon as we got home. I think I'd like to try it again but I've not seen it since. [8-|]

As you'll see from the avatar I do classic, but having driven an old twingo for a weekend recently it felt like trying to run in clogs, my super old shopping 204 would thrash it. But, I have to think about replacing that before I loose all my teeth. Looking around the Twingo's competition, the panda is quicker and more economical and the super new classic F500 is nearly 3 secs a lap quicker again, (put another way that could be first to the last parking space at the market!)  The figures don't tell everything, roadholding for example, and me thinks the C2 with a bigger engine would be quieter as well as less stressed, (wasps in a jamjar tingo to mind) not to mention more economical on fuel and maybe better purchase discount? As for build quality, the C2 is made by the same factory as the Toyota Aygo & Peugeot. Anybody any experience of looking at this range in France?                   Tingo            Panda         F500            C2 lucre           9995             9995         10,700         10,495 Juice           47.8                50              44.8             50.4  squirt         9.5/117         9.2/115      10.2/113      10.6/120

 "en 68 on était jeunes, rapides et beaux, aujourd'hui on est seulement... beaux !!". ''in 68 we were young, beautiful and fast, today there is only ... beautiful!". Clay Regazzoni to Jean Pierre Beltoise reportedly 1999.  

Not the best video but Regga's personal favourite moment, Franks walking, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2-Cym60oEU if you listen carefully you catch some of muddley talker.[8-|]

How many of us will have an epithet like these, and still drive competitively for the fun of it at 65. (His first outings were in his own Austin-Healey Sprite) his autobiography "It's a Matter of Heart" ''the essential modesty of a man who had class to throw away, Clay Regazzoni'' - Nigel Roebuck  "dancer, viveur, playboy and a driver in his spare time" - Enzo Ferrari, Darling of the Tifosi, particularly at Monza, twice winning the Italian grand prix where he - not Jackie Ickx, not Lauda - was always the favoured Ferrari son equalled only by James Hunt in his ability to combine professionalism behind the wheel with the extrovert, fun-loving image of the traditional racing driver - Niki Lauda Regazzoni drove for the small Ensign Team because he preferred "to race with nice people'' [:)] (after Bernie Ecclestone tried to financially cut his offer to drive for Brabham)

Supertramp - Logical song [8-|]  

Not only where we stayed on honeymoon but what we did on honeymoon [8-|] The initials on the winning car have a special significance for me, saw Clay Regazzoni a few years ago driving (should I say playing to the crowd) a Mercedes coupe around the Rallye de Rempart Angouleme town circuit and spoke to him afterwards, a lovely bloke, really full of fun, shame he went out the way he did. http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/56037  

Where was yours first Cathy?! . . ., which one the official one or the other one? [Www] Not a lot of cholesterol in Kippers, tomatoes and a slice of Hovis [:)] Liquorice sticks, the hard ones with the imprint, still buy them whenever I see them [8-|]

Can (Wo)Man survive at such speed? Tingo v Panda [8-|] then Min v F500 no contest!

Just so you can't say I hide and take pot shots, we thought in for a centime . . . [IMG]http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh166/classic69_72/View.jpg[/IMG] In for loads of euros, we thought we had removed the stones, then it rained, and rained and . . . . [IMG]http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh166/classic69_72/Lawn.jpg[/IMG] that's the patio just coming into frame on the bottom right [8-|]

Gluestick, hedges do look well trimmed, but the lawn looks like it could do with the treatment, have you got a scarifier? maybe Fertilizer & Weed treatment too! Is that provocative enough!

It is a bit 'just the usual suspects' I assumed the good weather had arrived [8-|]

Between us we always had a decent relationship with our son and my wife especially was forthright where things were not right, so she was just honest, including the advice that the decision is his, once we told him that he wasn't as happy as he was he opened up about the difficulties. Our son (at 22) needed the input from us even though he chose his own path, it did give him perspective and he knew he was able to lead his own life and make his own decisions, fortunately our relationship means we continue to grow and learn from each other but we always thought we should be honest, without any mal intent; certainly not hiding truths and avoiding discussion, but then being able to carry on life respecting each side.

A lot of water still has to pass under the bridge. My son had a similar relationship, (she was the most materialistic girl I have met, we paid for them to fly business class to Whistler as his present, she never even thanked us) we tried to get along with her (to her face) but when my son visited us alone we made comments that were not welcome, usually ending with my wife telling him to 'kick her into touch', it didn't improve our relationship (he moved out to avoid our influence). Three years later halleluiah, there was a bust up [:)] A year or so ago he met a really talented bubbly girl, so fingers crossed, we learn't that fate intervenes where we couldn't. (not for the first or last time).

If you can remember anything about the sixties, you weren't really there. - Paul Kantner, Jefferson Starship

Reality check! - Tom Rush - Remember Song

Tom Rush No regrets Re-released