More or Les (was Bloody Plurals)

[Hobbit]

I think my brother's second car was a Hillman Imp (first was a Commer Cob van), and he used to go round left hand bends in the way you describe.  I thought it was just him being uncharacteristically reckless, but from what you say it seems it was just the idiosyncrasy of the car.

Mine was an old but lovely Riley Elf with walnut fascia, leather seats and no synchromesh on first gear. (Fun, not.) The headlight dip was foot-operated in the middle of that lumpy thing running from front to back of the car, and I had to wriggle forward and stretch my leg as far as it would go to use it.

I remember the Riley Elf Anona.  Smashing little car   They did have a habit of putting the headlight dip on the floor in those days.  No idea why the designers thought it was a good idea to turn us into contortionists
I had a mini van which had no synchromesh on first.  Makes you appreciate modern cars
Do hope you haven't held your brother's reckless driving against him all these years
Pen

[mkenuk]

If I remember rightly, the Riley Elf and the Wolseley Hornet were basically upmarket versions of the early Austin and Morris Minis. The bodies were a slightly different shape and had a bit more space inside, but the engines, gearboxes and transmissions were identical.
Looking back, the very first Minis were a joke. The instrument panel had a speedometer (required by law) and very little else - I think the earliest ones didn't even have a fuel gauge!

[anona]

Yes, I thought the Elf and the Hornet were the same, but I didn't know that the innards were the same as the Mini. The Elf had a perky little rear end instead of the flattish shape of the Mini, which may have allowed for a better boot. She was very accommodating - she once drove around the barrier in a multi-storey car park for me, after the machine swallowed my card but failed to raise the barrier.
I sold her at 100,000 miles. Just before, I had her serviced, and the mechanic told me she ran so quietly he had to get out and check under the bonnet to be sure whether the engine was running. I wished I could have kept her, but husband no. 1 was a percussionist and needed a bigger car.

[Ozzyjack]

Anona,
We  passed through your area in 2010 and were positively impressed by Welsh hospitality.

We were amused in Abergavenny to join a short line of traffic moving very slowly because an elderly man was determinedly driving his 3-wheel mobility cart up the main road.  He was travelling at about walking pace and had a little bag of shopping with him.  We followed for several blocks with the traffic behind us building up.  Several pedestrians we passed also looked astonished and amused.  Luckily, he turned off to the right for his home safely as the traffic coming the other way was quite heavy.

We stopped at a pub on the outskirts of a small village, Llanhamlach, following D's dictum that isolated pubs with lots of cars in their carpark at lunchtime have good food.  He was right.  The Old Ford Inn was absolutely full up but after 5 minutes they found us a table by bringing in a table and 3 chairs from elsewhere and getting a few customers to squeeze up to make a space to put them in.  Most of the customers seemed to be locals not tourists and so we got a good Sunday roast - more than A and I could eat but D managed his and the remainder of ours as well.

[Les303]

Driving down a very narrow country road, I intentionally delay moving to the side hoping to force the oncoming car to slow down however it had no effect & as he sped by, I wound down my window & shouted out PIG!!!

I came to a stop at the side of the road & as I looked in the rear vision mirror, the driver was half hanging out of his window making wild hand gestures & screaming profanities at me until their was a sudden screech of brakes & an enormous thud as he hit the wild pig that had been scavenging in the middle of the road.

[Ozzyjack]

Another oldie but goodie.  I don’t know how I resisted the temptation to personalise it.

A Man Who Boozes
It was a year ago, September
a day I well remember
I was walking up and down in drunken pride
when my knees began to flutter
and I fell down in the gutter
and a pig came by and lay down by my side
 
As I lay there in the gutter
thinking thoughts I could not utter
I thought I heard a passing lady say,
"You can tell a man who boozes
by the company he chooses..."
And with that, the pig got up and walked away

[anona]

Ozzyjack

I'm so glad your experience in these parts was good. (There are rude, unpleasant people everywhere.) We have had French and Polish friends tickled pink by the way motorists often give way or let others out of a side road to join the queue on the main road.

One friend had a young autistic child who vanished from her side in the supermarket. After searching, the staff called the police, which frightened my friend. ""In my country, the police would be angry, and shout at you and tell you that you were a bad mother." She was overcome by the kindness of the police here, who sat her down and talked kindly and reassuringly to her. One stayed with her while the other found the child who had legged it through the car park across two roads to the nearby MacDonalds. Child psychologust in his spare time, or just experience?

I love the Pig poem. I first heard it recited over 40 years ago by Ryan (Davies: Ryan at the Rank; Poems and Pints) and have remembered the second verse ever since. I didn't know it was Irish, though? I have just checked, to find it was written by a John Leroy Maxwell. One of his other poems sounds American (omitted auxiliary, "cute", "Groundhog").

[Ozzyjack]

I love the Pig poem. I first heard it recited over 40 years ago by Ryan (Davies: Ryan at the Rank; Poems and Pints) and have remembered the second verse ever since. I didn't know it was Irish, though? I have just checked, to find it was written by a John Leroy Maxwell. One of his other poems sounds American (omitted auxiliary, "cute", "Groundhog").

Hi Anona

I am totally confused.  I think there may have been some plagiarism along the line but it will teach me to research more thoroughly.

This was my source
This supports your research
This has it written pre-1934 by Burt, who was obviously also American
This has it as Irish traditional

I can't find dates for John Leroy Maxwell but his biography makes him sound more contemporary than 1934.
JLM Biography

Anyway, whoever is responsible it was good fun.

[Ozzyjack]

Hi Pen,
As I was looking through some photos of our 2010 trip, I came across one of me at a Knockin Shop. 

I was going to attach it but I thought it might get Les too excited.  So I thought I would put in a picture of The Knockin Shop from the Internet without me in it.

And now for something completely different Footrot Flats - Wal's Date gone wrong.

And now for something traditional  BY THE SEA The Two Ronnies.

And now for kip.

[Hobbit]

Hi Jack
I would have preferred the picture of you at the Knockin Shop
I thought that Wal's Date Gone Wrong was hilarious.  Made me really giggle
The Two Ronnies excellent as usual. 
Tomorrow is meant to be considerably cooler so here's hoping! 
Yes Prime Minister
Here's a little something to make you smile.
Pen

[Hobbit]

G'day Les
Loved the joke about the PIG
Do hope you are keeping well.
Penx

[birdy]

 Also you two are kind and very loyal but I still doubt others would be interested.  

Um, actually I found the travel journal interesting too.  Vicarious living, I guess.  I wouldn't mind in the least seeing more.

[Ozzyjack]

Hi Jack
I would have preferred the picture of you at the Knockin Shop

I dunno, Pen, 2010 was before I started going to the gym.  I was not the trim, taut and sylphlike 133 Kg. that I am today.

While I think about it, another something different: Tracey Ullman - Camilla Parker-Bowles Goes Shopping

and getting increasingly rare:The Two Ronnies - Yeomen of the Guard.

I liked your Yes, Prime Minister sketch.

[Hobbit]

Afternoon Jack
Another day in paradise
I've no idea how much 133kgs is   I'll look it up this evening & convert it to stones/lbs!  I will also enjoy Tracey Ullman & The Two Ronnies as well.
I read on the BBC this morning that New South Wales is suffering an awful drought.  Not what you'd expect in what is probably your Winter?  sorry if that's wrong I get confused.
Pen

[Ozzyjack]

Just under 21 stone, Pen. I don’t go out in strong winds in case I get blown away.   

We are better off in the Southern Highlands than most.  Our average rainfall to August is 21 inches, this year 11 inches.  Winter is nearly over.

Must try for another hours sleep before I get up to head off to Sydney for our weekly golf game there.