What Shocked You Today

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What Shocked You Today

Always makes a good conversation piece does politics, but I think my mum's advice to avoid discussing Sex, Religion and Politics in company is strongly to be recommended. I'll now break this rule by saying my broad perception is that none of them can sort things out to suit everyone. All that happens when a party of different persuasion gets elected in is that you swap one set of problems for another. All we "little people" can hope to do is bend our way of life around so as to maximize any advantages we see to benefit us whilst minimizing inconvenience. This is why I think we were wrong to leave the EU. In my experience you're always better to be on the inside with influence, working gently but persuasively to change things you don't like rather than chucking the whole lot up in the air and going at things like a bull in a china shop. Softly softly catchee monkey as all boy scouts will know was said by Baden-Powel
 
Always makes a good conversation piece does politics, but I think my mum's advice to avoid discussing Sex, Religion and Politics in company is strongly to be recommended. I'll now break this rule by saying my broad perception is that none of them can sort things out to suit everyone. All that happens when a party of different persuasion gets elected in is that you swap one set of problems for another. All we "little people" can hope to do is bend our way of life around so as to maximize any advantages we see to benefit us whilst minimizing inconvenience. This is why I think we were wrong to leave the EU. In my experience you're always better to be on the inside with influence, working gently but persuasively to change things you don't like rather than chucking the whole lot up in the air and going at things like a bull in a china shop. Softly softly catchee monkey as all boy scouts will know was said by Baden-Powel
Nah you got that entirely wrong. You should have said "none of them can sort things out" .

and ended there. I feel like a drink.
 
When I was an apprentice the garage was on a 70 Mph twisty A road with several hump backs, at least twice cars landed on the roofs of bungalows.
Local knowledge helped as speed could be maintained, as long as a little right hand lock as you went light (air born?) kept you on the black bit. This was in the days of cross ply tyres;)
We had a Series one Land Rover with a Harvey Frost crane for recovery and at one time you could be sure of needing it at least once a week.
There was also some tight single lane country roads with high banks, one call out was for a lady whose business was Pyrenean Mountain show dogs, one morning she managed to catch the bank after a sharp bend, ride up it and flip a Vauxhall estate on it's roof with six of those dogs in it. We had to drag the car up the road on it's roof to a point where several men could right it, I believe the occupants had got out via a window somehow:)
2017 I was in Derbyshire working on doughter 1's new house. Travelling back to my caravan I came across a Porsche Cayenne. It was parked in a small wood of larch trees next to the road. Trouble for them was it was totally surrounded by the trees and in a walled area about 75yards by 90yds and no gate. From the road it appeared indamged. I suspect it would be a write off by the time it was extracted... Thats the trouble with Porshe drivers they go round littering!
 
Nah you got that entirely wrong. You should have said "none of them can sort things out" .

and ended there. I feel like a drink.
Yes, you're right! regarding the alcohol, I'm desolate to have to report that, following my "tummy" op a few years ago it's now completely off the menu - Used to like a pint or two and a whisky chaser on the side or a "Hauf (half) ana (and) a hauf" as it is often called (although that's strictly speaking a half of lager and a small whisky) Couple of pints and a double was more like it for us young idiot lads!
 
Many , many years ago, I joined a rowing club (cheap beer + did get quite fit also) as a member it was expected that you took your turn helping volunteering behind the bar + the odd free drink, this usually involved a half pint glass along the optics topped off with orange and lemonade ;).
 
Many , many years ago, I joined a rowing club (cheap beer + did get quite fit also) as a member it was expected that you took your turn helping volunteering behind the bar + the odd free drink, this usually involved a half pint glass along the optics topped off with orange and lemonade ;).
Yeah, Mrs J's best friend's husband was president of our local bowling club. I've never fancied the bowling but we joined as social members and enjoyed the "speciality" nights, Christmas dinner etc. A lot of drinking got done but as I couldn't, and didn't bowl, I always felt a bit of an outsider so when Mrs J's friend died - tragically from ovarian cancer - we just stopped going. looking at some of "the lads" now I'm just as happy we did because they're all older now, spend a lot of time propping the bar up and have substantial beer bellies whereas I'm a lithe young sprite compared to them! believe that if you will!
 
Yeah, Mrs J's best friend's husband was president of our local bowling club. I've never fancied the bowling but we joined as social members and enjoyed the "speciality" nights, Christmas dinner etc. A lot of drinking got done but as I couldn't, and didn't bowl, I always felt a bit of an outsider so when Mrs J's friend died - tragically from ovarian cancer - we just stopped going. looking at some of "the lads" now I'm just as happy we did because they're all older now, spend a lot of time propping the bar up and have substantial beer bellies whereas I'm a lithe young sprite compared to them! believe that if you will!
I stopped rowing around 1978 when first wife left. she had been a member also and it felt a bit awkward. As a youngster I was really unfit, not fat just very undernourished, we were quite poor and later as a young mechanic when evenings were nightclubs and smoking if you wanted to meet the ladies, but when all that lost it's appeal, a friend and I joined the local rowing club it made a heck of a difference, row 10 miles in a Head race, run for miles, lifted weights, gave up the smoking but not the drinking, so Summer or Winter we were training and quite fit.
It reminded me of around 1974/5 we had a big Championship Regatta and the then Minister of Sport Denis Howell was in attendance to give out the awards I suppose, anyway he was chatting with some of us at the bar including a young lady drinking vodka, he asked her if she rowed at all, to which she replied that she was competing in the next race as soon as she had finished her drink! I think he was gob smacked judging by his expression ;).
 
I stopped rowing around 1978 when first wife left.
Side note...I read that as Rowing not rowing..made the rest of it very confusing.

"I stopped arguing around 1978 when the first wife left.." understandable given she wasn't there to argue with.."She'd also been a member" steady on no need to call her that!

Oh...oh I see Rowing as in boat.
 
Side note...I read that as Rowing not rowing..made the rest of it very confusing.

"I stopped arguing around 1978 when the first wife left.." understandable given she wasn't there to argue with.."She'd also been a member" steady on no need to call her that!

Oh...oh I see Rowing as in boat.
Different type of "oars" ?
 
Yup…there’s bugger all ‘new’ I’d consider buying
If it didn't infringe all the emission laws etc. I am sure there would be a market for a modern rust free car with a simple 70s style engine, no electronics, no power steering, just a basic vehicle capable of 70/80mph 35mpg, capable of being repaired anywhere.
Most people just want a car to get to work, not the" double the speed limit, computer on wheels" that manufacturers think we will buy!
 
If it didn't infringe all the emission laws etc. I am sure there would be a market for a modern rust free car with a simple 70s style engine, no electronics, no power steering, just a basic vehicle capable of 70/80mph 35mpg, capable of being repaired anywhere.
Most people just want a car to get to work, not the" double the speed limit, computer on wheels" that manufacturers think we will buy!
You’ve just described a 128, the car that did more for the modern car industry than the mini ever did
 
If it didn't infringe all the emission laws etc. I am sure there would be a market for a modern rust free car with a simple 70s style engine, no electronics, no power steering, just a basic vehicle capable of 70/80mph 35mpg, capable of being repaired anywhere.
Most people just want a car to get to work, not the" double the speed limit, computer on wheels" that manufacturers think we will buy!
If this were true and “most people” as you say wanted this, then car manufacturers would be catering as best they can to this.

Super simple and cheap cars like this do exist to some degree, usually covered in parking dents, with the plastic wheel trims smashed to bits by kerbs with a hearing aid beige paint scheme and usually have something like Agila or Matiz written across the boot lid…… and they don’t sell well.
 
If this were true and “most people” as you say wanted this, then car manufacturers would be catering as best they can to this.

Super simple and cheap cars like this do exist to some degree, usually covered in parking dents, with the plastic wheel trims smashed to bits by kerbs with a hearing aid beige paint scheme and usually have something like Agila or Matiz written across the boot lid…… and they don’t sell well.
Don't get me wrong something fast is fun, but without getting stopped all the time apart from race days where can you use all the power your extra money paid for?
Manufacturers have to sell cars that meet the emission laws Governments require.
However electric power steering central locking electric windows, can bus systems telling the ECU to put up warning lights to tell you a bulb has blown or that your tyre pressures are getting low, even things like air con, in the past it was only American cars that had that, now it seems to almost come standard.
So basically it is car salesmen telling the customer what they must expect on a new vehicle.
I am just "teed off" after spending 4 hours on my back taking the alternator off my Citroen C3 1.Diesel, DPF off, Aircon pump off, half the intercooler piping, o/s/f wheel off, auxillary belt tensioner off, numerous wires, then four bolts to hold a alternator on, soldered new brushes in but I am going to get the auto electrician to test it as I don't want to have to repeat the exercise. in case the regulator is at fault , which if I need to fit that cost more than I used to pay for a brand new alternator before they had to make them so big to power all the high amperage stuff used on modern cars.
The same job in the past would have taken around thirty minutes on most cars!
 
If this were true and “most people” as you say wanted this, then car manufacturers would be catering as best they can to this.

Super simple and cheap cars like this do exist to some degree, usually covered in parking dents, with the plastic wheel trims smashed to bits by kerbs with a hearing aid beige paint scheme and usually have something like Agila or Matiz written across the boot lid…… and they don’t sell well.
Nothing wrong with the Matiz, lol!
 
If it didn't infringe all the emission laws etc. I am sure there would be a market for a modern rust free car with a simple 70s style engine, no electronics, no power steering, just a basic vehicle capable of 70/80mph 35mpg, capable of being repaired anywhere.
Most people just want a car to get to work, not the" double the speed limit, computer on wheels" that manufacturers think we will buy!
I'm somewhere in the middle: I like to have a few creature comforts in a car, but nowadays, it's just gotten silly.
 
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