Modern Vespa

I've been done for a box junction offence too. I was very cross, because most of the time I seem to be the only driver in London who honours them. I was caught out on Battersea Bridge Road by a car that blocked the entrance to the bus lane, leaving me sticking out into the box.

What a very pleasant day The initial meet and greet took place at the Hendon park cafe - the UK's only kosher caf (sadly no bacon sandwiches available). Present for this part of the day's activities were myself and Genie, Ashbrook, Stan, DougL, Charles, brown-beret, Spike, Chris (on a Triumph Bonneville, but we forgave him), Orangezorki, Gass, Pepy, Waspman, and Wobblywheels. We enjoyed delicious coffee and food along with light conversation, heading off for the RAF museum at about noon. Unfortunately Wobbly's ET4 failed to start, and the rest of the group somehow having formed the impression that he'd left to attend a family function, carried on without him. sorry mate

We spent a happy few hours pointing at aircraft, then convened at the coffee shop for more hot beverages and chatter. Rarely do you visit a cafe decorated with a supercharged V12 engine in the middle of the seating area. We were also introduced to Spike's lovely wife, who had turned up for a quick visit to the museum.

Coincidence of the day - we discovered that Genie and Spike share the same birthday

A great day out to end the season.

Birreh XX

My friends two Rolls Royce's. The Camargue is pure Thunderbirds isn't it ?

Birreh

Ew, kosher.... what about those who don't want that?

I don't think they were invited this time.

Bill X

Behave!!

Anyway, you can always sprinkle bacon bits on the top.

I'd have liked to have come but didn't fancy chancing the weather on the way back and I had lots of stuff to get done today. Instead I spent far too much on a new car.

What did you buy ?

Strokes chin.

Bill X

A 2.0TDI Octavia Estate - an Elegance with a few too many options added.
I've been looking for a new car on and off all year and finally I snapped. Got a reasonable discount, 42 months 0% APR finance and an above-book trade in which they'll hold until the 1st March.
I guess they were very close to their target for the month.

Ouch!

I just picked up a Mk7 Golf GTI a couple of weeks ago (which took 5 months from order to collection). It was so well equipped that I didn't specify any options, not even metallic (I bought my first red car). Managed to get an 11% discount, which wasn't too bad via Drive The Deal.

12% was the target on Skodas, but when they introduced the 0% finance that halved the dealer's margins (and saved you more than 6% of the cost in interest anyway) so I'm very happy with the discount and part-ex I got.

As for options... Panoramic Sunroof, Winter Pack (heated seats and screen), full leather and upgraded stereo were the key ones.

Totally frivolous, but it was one of those "fuck it" moments, and it's a car I plan to keep for a good long while so I thought I may as well get the one I want.

Posted in rides too

12th of the 12th 8)

Wooden Shjips as promised

Me and Mrs Spike are going to see em for my birthday

TY Spike.

It's started to piss down now and the wind is picking up so here we go - go.

Nice video Pepy. Does my arse look big on that GTS ?

Bill X

I awoke at 6.45am to a terrible gust of wind which made the house shudder, followed by an agonisingly loud, screeching noise and an enormous bang. I leapt out of bed and rushed downstairs to find this:







Also scratches to the car from ricocheting fallen masonry. Grr

Whoops!

Hopefully it won't take too long to get a roofer out.

They've already been, believe it or not and the damage is less than £500, which surprised me. New hip tiles on Wednesday.

That's not unreasonable. Hopefully we'll get a couple of calm days till then.

Man those lights are long. Was hoping to see the BV.

They're "London Lights" not real lights.....

Ouch. Well done getting in quickly with the roofers, it's bonanza time for them I expect. Awaiting a sit-rep on my place - fingers crossed.

I'm sure yours will be fine. Mine appeared to be the only casualty on the street. Funny thing was that my neighbour was more concerned with her tiny little flower bed full of pansies. Her husband's and my eyes met with a roll

Looking forward to the weekend!

I'm glad it wasn't more serious doug was the damage to your neighbour's car, or your own?

i have some leaves to clear out of the pond, but now that I've righted the one pot that tipped over, my 'big storm' clean up is complete.

Hope everyone is inside and staying dry.

I loved watching the video. It has calmed most of my fears of some day riding with the Skoks in the UK on the opposite side from what I'm used to.

Btw, I loved seeing Ash at the start pulling out and stopping traffic for the group. What a gentleman! He makes an impressive roadblock... and makes that GTS look as though he's astride a small frame.

Doug, is fortune-telling a sideline of yours? The last thing you said to me at Hendon Park Cafe was "must find somewhere to park the car away from the house to avoid falling tiles tonight"

Spooky!

He's a rather impressive specimen isn't he.....

Nope, mine, but really only a tiny scratch I think. Need to get a touch up stick out. I absolutely knew that something was going to happen to my roof. Some of the tiles are delaminating, so I expected a few bits and pieces to go flying. Not the whole hip joint....

Very 'you' mate - even half the video's matt black!

I felt you were there in spirit Trepp - the kosher café was run by the London Jewish community. As the first arrival, the owner gave me a really warm welcome, and the menu looked delicious. Gass really enjoyed the Shakshuka
http://www.hendonparkcafe.co.uk/menu.html I'm always glad when he's on our side

Sorry I missed the ride

Doug how did your mod 2 go? Sorry to hear about the tiles
Today was rough with the wind

Not done it yet... Mod 1 tick

Keep us posted... You'll do it I've no doubt

Tea m'lady?

The storm was a fairly light touch in some parts of the Midlands, but I did sit gridlocked in my car for over 3 hours trying to get to Coventry this morning, after local flooding completing closed a major urban route into the city.
Car accident? Move the vehicles quickly to clear the route...
Tree down? Cut it up into moveable chunks and clear the route...
Metres of deep flood water covering the road in the rush hour? Er....erm...

Very sad for the 4 deaths, the young boy swept away and the young 17yr old girl especially...

A very sad sight this morning on the A12
Just came off the red bridge roundabout and traffic backed up
Two beautiful big swans has just been run over
Very upsetting

Just watching that chap Guy Fieri on food network
Would someone tell him how to pronounce paprika?
it's pap-reeka
Not papa-reeka!!
And he eats like an animal
I dread to think what his cholesterol level must be, eating all that fried stuff

If anyone wants a spare exhaust gasket for a GTS, I picked up one of these recently, arrived today, and the spec and quality looks no different to the recent Piaggio OEM one I had...

My dealer charges £20 for OEM, this one is £6...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/360741519775?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

Weather permitting, this Friday I'm planning on riding with one of my kids to visit a hospital in northern Israel. No, we don't know anyone there; doctor or patient. But like many Israelis over the past couple of years, we will be making a quiet pilgrimage to visit a few patients and bring them small gifts of sweets/food, reading materials and flowers.

The interesting part is that these patients are Syrians; seriously wounded in the ongoing civil war there.

It is an open secret that since the fighting began in earnest in Syria, the IDF has maintained both military and medical personnel at several strategic sections of the border. The former to deal with potential attacks/incursions... and the latter to help tend to seriously wounded combatants and civilians (from both sides of the conflict) who would not survive a trip to one of the already overtaxed Syrian medical facilities.

Those who can be treated, stabilized and returned immediately (what a physician friend of mine who spent a month on the border recently called 'catch and release'). Those who require hospitalization, surgery, etc., are brought by ambulance to one of the hospitals in Israel's north.

Many Israelis have taken to bringing gifts to the hospitals and trying to visit 'our neighbors'. But most of the time visitors are told to just leave the gifts... no visitors allowed. But sometimes, rules are bent and visitors are allowed in to see a few of the patients. Language is always a problem, but offered treats, smiles and hand gestures are universally understood.

The reason for the general rule to isolate the Syrian patients is mostly for their own protection. At the start of the civil war, news of Syrians receiving treatment in Israeli hospitals got back to Damascus and several members of patient's families were killed in retribution. So now, they are mostly allowed to receive gift baskets and Arabic newspapers/magazines... and maybe a wave from the door.

We're going to visit to demonstrate to the 'visiting' syrians that we are not the monsters they have been led to believe. We also want our children to see that despite the ongoing state of war between our countries, the Syrians are men, women and children just like us. It's the kind of life lesson that books can't adequately convey.

This will be so much more than just a scooter ride to the north...

A recent article on the subject:

http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Syrian-in-Israeli-hospital-Most-fighters-know-theywill-get-good-care-here-326110

Interesting (though not at all surprising) to see Israel doing this. I hope the trip goes well for you. It's all too easy to forget that this is still going on. Now that the argument about chemical weapons seems to have been resolved it's largely disappeared from the news over here.

Changing the subject slightly, how's your daughter's military service going?

Thanks for asking... she is doing very well. She finished basic training and was selected for the 'commander's course'; at the end of which she will become a sergeant and be put in charge of a squad. She has also been told that if she does as expected in the course they want her to attend the military academy (officer's training) and receive a commission. This would require her to extend her service by two years, but she is seriously considering it.

At the moment she is spending a week 'in the field' doing day/night navigation exercises and practicing long distance evacuation of wounded (marches over hilly terrain of 10-15 km carrying a 'wounded' soldier on a stretcher) .

Good times.

Excellent news - sounds like she's really making the most of it. I'm really pleased for you all.