What's made you smile today?

[puntofan01]

Not a bad week off: had a great few days in Cardiff and the Cotswolds with friends; Tom Ingram won the BTCC crown; I saw Roxy Music on Friday; and went to banger racing yesterday.

Oh, and tickets may have been ordered for Iron Maiden next year!!

 

[Barchetta Bloke 440]

Yesterday I smiled whilst watching Stanley Tucci ,Searching for Italy .If you haven't watched this ,he goes round the Italy regions meeting chefs ,amateur cooks , farmers and food producers ,trying out all the regional recipes and generally stuffing his face with delicious grub .

Last night's episode he was in Umbria , Tuscany's shy neighbour ,and he went to Orvieto ,the most amazing place I have ever seen .

In 2019 .I was driving south to Vallelunga and I drove around the outside of Orvieto ,from the north you don't get a good view of the town but after passing you go downhill and back up the other side of the valley and you get the most amazing view of the town .It looks like it is built on a cloud.

Look it up on Images ,but they don't do justice to seeing it in person . If you are in the area go take a look at it from the south side .

If I could I'd go back there tomorrow just to see that view . Highly recommended .

I have other smiles but will save them for later .
I might be buying a Fiat on Friday .
An appropriate adult should be called upon to accompany me but sadly I don't know any .

 

[AndyRKett]

Yesterday I smiled whilst watching Stanley Tucci ,Searching for Italy .If you haven't watched this ,he goes round the Italy regions meeting chefs ,amateur cooks , farmers and food producers ,trying out all the regional recipes and generally stuffing his face with delicious grub .

I need to watch this, it’s on my list, I’m a big fan of Oz Clark and his touring round France eating all their amazing food, I’ve also seen interviews where other celebs highlight their jealousy of his amazing “packed lunches” that he makes himself and brings to set while he’s working on films.

Over the years have tried to pay visits to some of the places on those shows to check It out for myself. The food in France is amazing, nothing like here and I suspect Italy is the same.

was in France just a couple of weeks ago, turned the wrong way off the tunnel train (well wife did as she was driving) ended up driving down the coast before heading inland towards Paris. Stopped in a lay-by to change a very smelly 6 month old in the back and found an amazing view just up some steps of the English coast. Pictures do not do it justice.

even the baby food in France is better so we stocked up lol

 

[Barchetta Bloke 440]

I need to watch this, it’s on my list, I’m a big fan of Oz Clark and his touring round France eating all their amazing food, I’ve also seen interviews where other celebs highlight their jealousy of his amazing “packed lunches” that he makes himself and brings to set while he’s working on films.

Over the years have tried to pay visits to some of the places on those shows to check It out for myself. The food in France is amazing, nothing like here and I suspect Italy is the same.

was in France just a couple of weeks ago, turned the wrong way off the tunnel train (well wife did as she was driving) ended up driving down the coast before heading inland towards Paris. Stopped in a lay-by to change a very smelly 6 month old in the back and found an amazing view just up some steps of the English coast. Pictures do not do it justice.

even the baby food in France is better so we stocked up lol

There is 2 series of the Stanley Tucci show to catch up on , it is SO good .

Also currently on is Bettany Hughes Paris to Rome or something ,I find her a little annoying but if she's in Italy then I will be watching .

 

[Rocinante]

There is 2 series of the Stanley Tucci show to catch up on , it is SO good .

Also currently on is Bettany Hughes Paris to Rome or something ,I find her a little annoying but if she's in Italy then I will be watching .

There's a third Season of Tucci coming.

 

[Barchetta Bloke 440]

There's a third Season of Tucci coming.

That's good news , I don't remember which regions he has covered and which not . Don't think there will be a single show for each region , I'm sure he briefly went to Aosta Valley as part of the Piedmont episode .

Now I need a pizza .

 

[StevenRB45]

Trying to calculate how many conservative cabinet members/prime ministers we need to endure between now and their inevitable wipe out at election.

Only issue being if things are really that fahked..their replacements hands are tied. Although as long they aren't actively commited to making everyone's lives worse that would be an improvement.

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

I'm lucky enough to have lived for a long time now - hope there are a few more good years in me yet! During that time I've come to the conclusion that you just can't "win" when it comes to politicians. When a new lot get into power, and the focus moves from one set of priorities to another, all that happens "at the coal face" is you swap one load of problems for another. Better I find, not to expect too much but rather to concentrate on how you can work best with whatever turns up and bend it to your best advantage? I do vote but have never felt any great allegiance and can't say I've ever felt that one party has improved my life any better than another. Maybe I should vote for "our Nicola" next time and inject a little "excitement" into my daily life - maybe? Mind you, the conservatives really seem to have played a blinder this time in terms of stuffing us all? We, and our children, are going to be paying for this (including the vast amounts of money squandered during the Covid fiasco) for many more years than I have left in me.

It's always seemed strange and unfair to me that, in the majority of cases, politicians - and people in positions of power - can exert such influence and make rulings that can be personally so devastating for the "little people" in our society whereas they seem to sail merrily on managing to live in their nice houses have their nice cars and go nice holidays. I bet not many of them are having to think about choosing between heating or eating?

 

[StevenRB45]

At this point I feel like we need to stop saying each prime minister is the worst prime minister in history.

As clearly the response from the conservative party seems to be "hold my beer".

Point entirely taken one different set of people are not automatically better than another...but the other option is it always will be the same and I don't want to believe these these wastes of oxygen and skin are the best the country has to offer.

I can entirely believe it's the best the old boys network has to offer..but that's what happens when you get where you are due to who rather than what you know.

 

[Barchetta Bloke 440]

I might be buying a Fiat on Friday .
An appropriate adult should be called upon to accompany me but sadly I don't know any .

Update on this ,I have bought a Fiat .
I don't have any pics so you will have to wait until pickup day for the reveal .

It's black and doesn't have power steering .

 

[varesecrazy]

I loved those old 'Sedicivalvole' cars

Or is it a 1934 ' little mouse'

 

[StevenRB45]

Update on this ,I have bought a Fiat .
I don't have any pics so you will have to wait until pickup day for the reveal .

It's black and doesn't have power steering .

No power steering doesn't narrow it down at all given the reliability of the Fiat electric rack..

 

[Barchetta Bloke 440]

No power steering doesn't narrow it down at all given the reliability of the Fiat electric rack..

It never has had power steering ,doesn't have Sedici valves either , a little mouse a bit too old .

 

[Barchetta Bloke 440]

Watching Saturday kitchen this morning made me smile.

A Canadian woman was doing some thing with Worcestershire sauce in it , her pronunciation was hilarious and they then made a big deal out of it for 2 minutes ,very funny .

"Wooshtershur sauce".....

 

[The Panda Nut]

Mrs. Cheest and I did an experiment and took Buster camping earlier in the week.

What we learned is that Buster doesn't mind camping and the weatherman is a damn liar. It started to rain sporadically soon after we set up and the temps turned cold. Buster spend most of his time napping under a blanket while we kept throwing on more layers of clothing. We haven't camped in such cold temps since we were in our teens. We finally broke down and fired up the furnace. That made it tolerable...until it killed the battery.

There were a couple breaks in the weather and we took the opportunity to hike up one of the hills and climb one of the observation towers. This the view of south central Wisconsin from the tower.

I likened the steps to the top of the tower to running up the first two levels of the Eiffel Tower 31 years ago. Though I think the Eiffel climb was easier. I was also only 35 years old and 20 pounds lighter.

How many pounds lighter??

 

[The Panda Nut]

Trying to calculate how many conservative cabinet members/prime ministers we need to endure between now and their inevitable wipe out at election.

Only issue being if things are really that fahked..their replacements hands are tied. Although as long they aren't actively commited to making everyone's lives worse that would be an improvement.

ANSWER : Far too many!

And, not the disgraced, dishonest and law breaking johnson I hope.

Where exactly do conservatives believe the line between suitable and unsuitable for office should be drawn. Murder, rape, armed robbery, GBH????? Certainly a reasonable standard of moral decency is not required. And yes I am sure Hitlers mates thought he was a jolly fine chap in the bar too.

If he's elected I shall take it an open season has been declared on breaking any law I feel is not right for me and woe betided anyone who tries to intervene. Law and orde will be declared void here!

 

[irc]

But isn't it all part of the master plan to take this country back to the (rose tinted specs mode:ON) glorious 1950s, where we measured things in feet and inches (fathoms, rods, perches etc.) and consumed things in pints and gallons, as preferred by Mr. Rees-Mogg (and his nanny/valet, etc).
However, it's a gradual process, and so far we've only reached the 1970s (strikes, power cuts, rampant inflation, devalued currency, etc.).
I'm sure everything will be fine when we finally reach the 1950s, and grammatically misplaced commas become a criminal offence.
Or perhaps it's just a dystopian nightmare...

 

[varesecrazy]

Non UK natives apparently struggle pronouncing Loughborough also

Lew burrew or something like that


I was amused when I saw a facebook post by a Spanish motorcycle racer

Apparently he has used a foreshortened version of his full name for the 20 years Ive known of him

The family name he has not used..

Arce

 

[rmjbn1]

Non UK natives apparently struggle pronouncing Loughborough also

Lew burrew or something like that

Hah! Best effort I heard was from an Aussie: "Loogaboogarooga". Could pass for a place in Oz, I suppose

In other news, just returned from visiting my aged p's, mum was most excited to show me something: "Your car was on our calendar the other week!"

Surprised as it's a calendar of French cars (we did at one point own approx 4 1/2 old Citroens).

She'd kept the page and refused to let the old man change the calendar ever since. He was getting very confused.

Anyway, here's 'my' car on a calendar Not entirely dissimilar, I had to admit...

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

Hah! Best effort I heard was from an Aussie: "Loogaboogarooga". Could pass for a place in Oz, I suppose

In other news, just returned from visiting my aged p's, mum was most excited to show me something: "Your car was on our calendar the other week!"

Surprised as it's a calendar of French cars (we did at one point own approx 4 1/2 old Citroens).

She'd kept the page and refused to let the old man change the calendar ever since. He was getting very confused.

Anyway, here's 'my' car on a calendar Not entirely dissimilar, I had to admit...View attachment 414304

Got quite a soft spot for those old Renaults. When I worked at the Leyland agent up in Dalkeith one of our customers had one of those. I did quite a bit of work on it including a clutch which was unusual as the gearbox was in front of the engine directly behind the front grill with a big gear change rod along the top of the engine! Eventually the car died with terminal tin worm in the rear axle mountings - which was a bit of a problem with that model I think? If driven "enthusiastically" they had almost as much body roll as the wee Citroens!