What makes you grin? Antidote to grumpy thread

[Guest]

I would like to point out that this baby boom has absolutely nothing to do with the Hirst Cabs "after 1am" 10% discount scheme, but I'm not willing to do a DNA test as they are against my principles.

[gearoil]

Cheers Liberator.Good luck to you Trigger.Hirst - you have a Scottish arm of Hirst Cabs...?

[Cavcraft]

Get in! Got my lad his first car today and when driving it back I took it to the garage he works at to show him, he's chuffed to bits.Giffer spec Mk3 Astra, 1.4SPi POWAH! Drove well enough, found Radio 2 on the standard stereo and had 3/4 tank of juice. Happy days.

[seth]

Pleasant Ebay transactions...I've just been to pick up the seats I won the other day. The bloke was really sound. Retired chap in his 60's I reckon, in a big Victorian detached house in Enfield. Seats were out of a Bond he'd had many years ago so we talked old cars a bit. He told me he always liked to keep the garage clear of stuff so that the car could go in it. Later said that his car was from 1985 and had 46k on it - He'd got it when his dad died with only 3k on it. I asked him what it was (Cavalier) but didn't get to see it. Also told me that when the old chap a couple of doors up died they found several old (1930's) vans in the back garden. Someone rang up the local vehicle club and they came and dragged them off to be re-homed.

[Gompo]

Today, buggering off from work at 2pm, in the sunshine, and finding a new, slightly longer but much more fun way home has made me smile

Which route/road is that? I'm all for fun roads around here..

[Pillock]

Today, buggering off from work at 2pm, in the sunshine, and finding a new, slightly longer but much more fun way home has made me smile

Which route/road is that? I'm all for fun roads around here..

I travel A17/A46/A1 junction at Winthorpe to/from Kirkby, which is just pretty much A617 all the way. Dull.So I headed out on the A617 and took the A612 towards Southwell where it leaves to the left. A bit of twisty towards Southwell and then pleasantness through the town..... exit via Westgate and then onto the Oxton Road with some nice sweeping corners. That'll take you past Halam on your left, which is where I realised I knew where I was - I approach Halam from that way for dog training. So I hammered it a bit harder on familiar roads, there's a lovely left-right-left-right downhill and you end up at the Oxton roundabout. Straight over, Beanford lane is closed but normally you could take that through a ford, but for the time being take the next right which brings you past the end of of that road - lovely straight road with little dips in it. A funny right turn on a corner (close your eyes and nail it), a nice 70-80mph stretch past the burial ground and then across the A614 onto Blidworth road. Again, very open and fast with a cunning yump halfway down. Twisty bit to finish and then you're back on the boring stuff through Ravenshead.

[Gompo]

Sounds like a nice little commute. I do know most of the roads around there as have worked in Southwell/Oxton/Farnsfield etc. I used to often see a Starlet owned by an RR and OJC member around there too. Not seen him for a while though.

[dollywobbler]

Barn owls. I saw three on my drive home on Monday, two last night but none tonight. In fact, all I got tonight was loads of pheasants sh*t scared as I drove my 2CV at them - the shrieking tin snail is probably why I saw no barn owls thinking about it... very shouty little car.

[Pillock]

Sounds like a nice little commute. I do know most of the roads around there as have worked in Southwell/Oxton/Farnsfield etc. I used to often see a Starlet owned by an RR and OJC member around there too. Not seen him for a while though.

Yeah, can't remember his name but we had a short-lived RR meet at The Hutt, he turned up in his Starlet.Farnsfield is nice, there's a ratty VW Type 3 in a field somewhere there. I hope at least - it's mine!

[chester drawers]

Stopping at a remote petrol station and the cashier exclaiming “God, how vintage is your car?â€ÂApproximately the same vintage as she is I suspect, but with more moss on it

[chester drawers]

Barn owls. I saw three on my drive home on Monday, two last night

Wow that’s quite a privilege! Only ever seen one in the wild, whilst out running. A couple of tawnys make a right old row most nights outside my parents’ house but I’ve never seen either of them.

 

 

Perched on my arm at Stafford Castle last summer. Seconds later a pigeon landed in the tree above and he got rather excited

[Polystratus]

I travel A17/A46/A1 junction at Winthorpe to/from Kirkby, which is just pretty much A617 all the way. Dull.So I headed out on the A617 and took the A612 towards Southwell where it leaves to the left. A bit of twisty towards Southwell and then pleasantness through the town..... exit via Westgate and then onto the Oxton Road with some nice sweeping corners. That'll take you past Halam on your left, which is where I realised I knew where I was - I approach Halam from that way for dog training. So I hammered it a bit harder on familiar roads, there's a lovely left-right-left-right downhill and you end up at the Oxton roundabout. Straight over, Beanford lane is closed but normally you could take that through a ford, but for the time being take the next right which brings you past the end of of that road - lovely straight road with little dips in it. A funny right turn on a corner (close your eyes and nail it), a nice 70-80mph stretch past the burial ground and then across the A614 onto Blidworth road. Again, very open and fast with a cunning yump halfway down. Twisty bit to finish and then you're back on the boring stuff through Ravenshead.

Oxton Road from Southwell to the A614 is a nice run, Beanford lane closed due to the recent weather? Another run I like is down the Epperstone bypass, through Epperstone village,Gonalston, then across on the A612 to Thurgaton, then turn off to Bleasby, has a nice tea room just outside the village there, then to Fiskerton where you can follow the Trent back up to the A617.Think will do this as a potential 2CV Drive It Day route next month, or a run around Southwell.

[whitevanman]

Barn owls. I saw three on my drive home on Monday, two last night

Wow that’s quite a privilege! Only ever seen one in the wild, whilst out running. A couple of tawnys make a right old row most nights outside my parents’ house but I’ve never either of them.Perched on my arm at Stafford Castle last summer. Seconds later a pigeon landed in the tree above and he got rather excited

We have loads of them around here, they even sit in the middle of the road some night................fuck knows why though

[chester drawers]

^ I am jealous (not of seeing them dice with death of course)!I’m in a semi-rural location and they’re definitely about, but I never seem to actually see them. Peering through the wire at sanctuaries is no substitute for the real deal either.

[Guest]

^ I am jealous (not of seeing them dice with death of course)!I’m in a semi-rural location and they’re definitely about, but I never seem to actually see them. Peering through the wire at sanctuaries is no substitute for the real deal either.

I'm ashamed to say I've never seen an owl in the wild.We get LOADS of game birds round here though, especially thicko pheasants.The cows get out a fair bit as well. They wander down the main road and stare you out. It's terrifying and strangely relaxing at the same time.

[Ratdat]

Can see owls every day at my gaff. There's at least three round here. One nests over on the farm opposite. Here's one having a snooze in a hedge..

 

[chester drawers]

^^Loads of thicko game birds where I used to live… Not pheasants though. I’ll get my coat.

[brammy777]

I never see owls, seen a few in captivity and had one perch on my arm but thats it.In fact, Id never seen a Hedgehog until last year, and Ive yet to see a living Badger.

[whitevanman]

I never see owls, seen a few in captivity and had one perch on my arm but thats it.In fact, Id never seen a Hedgehog until last year, and Ive yet to see a living Badger.

Move further North young man....once you get above the M62 thats when you start to see the wild life.............

[M'coli]

Barn owls. I saw three on my drive home on Monday, two last night

Wow that’s quite a privilege! Only ever seen one in the wild, whilst out running. A couple of tawnys make a right old row most nights outside my parents’ house but I’ve never either of them.Perched on my arm at Stafford Castle last summer. Seconds later a pigeon landed in the tree above and he got rather excited

We have loads of them around here, they even sit in the middle of the road some night................fuck knows why though

They'll probably be at a place in the road that's a popular crossing point for small furry things. Why hunt in the undergrowth?

[504GL]

Barn owls. I saw three on my drive home on Monday, two last night

Wow that’s quite a privilege! Only ever seen one in the wild, whilst out running. A couple of tawnys make a right old row most nights outside my parents’ house but I’ve never seen either of them.

 

 

Perched on my arm at Stafford Castle last summer. Seconds later a pigeon landed in the tree above and he got rather excited

If you like birds of prey try going to Warwick castle when they've got a display. They've got some beautiful eagles and a vulture too

[55bloke]

I know it's a hell of a long way to go, but absolutely THE best bird of prey show I've ever seen is at Jungle World on Teneriffe. They have about half a dozen handlers controlling several birds each- Bald Eagles, Red Kites, even Marabou Storks!! A genuinely jaw-dropping spectacle.

[Mr Lobster]

I think owls are a fascinating bird. Only ever seen one in the wild though. Last house we lived at had them in the woods behind it, you could hear them most nights but not once in eight years living there did I see one.

[Cavcraft]

Wildlife rocks. Saw a kestrel or hawk or something the other day, bloody huge think just perched on a telegraph pole.The following day a bloke was walking along with it on his arm. We supposedly have buzzards at work but I'm not convinced as they didn't look that big and I think buzzards are huge things?Plenty of foxes, mice, rabbits and hawks (or kestrels) at work though and fascinating to watch.In case anyone's interested I went to a bird or prey display a year or so back and asked the bloke running it why some birds hover round for ages and how they could know prey was nearby.Apparantly mice and other animals have some sort of UV in their urine which the birds can spot easily due to their special eyesight. They can then hover directly over where they know the prey is and wait for them.He reckoned due to people chucking rubbish out of cars this attracted small rodents which in turn attracted some birds of prey hence seeing a lot of them near busy roads and laybys.

[dollywobbler]

Kestrels are small Billy - they're the hovering ones. Beautiful birds. Buzzards are fapping huge.

 

We saw what we think was a juvenline Golden Eagle in Scotland.

 

They're big too.

 

What a bunch of twitchers we are!

[504GL]

Wildlife rocks. Saw a kestrel or hawk or something the other day, bloody huge think just perched on a telegraph pole.The following day a bloke was walking along with it on his arm. We supposedly have buzzards at work but I'm not convinced as they didn't look that big and I think buzzards are huge things?Plenty of foxes, mice, rabbits and hawks (or kestrels) at work though and fascinating to watch.In case anyone's interested I went to a bird or prey display a year or so back and asked the bloke running it why some birds hover round for ages and how they could know prey was nearby.Apparantly mice and other animals have some sort of UV in their urine which the birds can spot easily due to their special eyesight. They can then hover directly over where they know the prey is and wait for them.He reckoned due to people chucking rubbish out of cars this attracted small rodents which in turn attracted some birds of prey hence seeing a lot of them near busy roads and laybys.

Wow that's cool! There's a fox around our parts that comes out late at night, sometimes if I get up in the night I'll sit in the loungeroom in the dark and just watch out for him. We also get bats in our front yard too in the spring and summer when there are lots of insects around. We live by a hillside with a nice big wooded area and have loads of buzzards soaring on thermals in the summer. Never get to see anything getting killed though

[Mr H Sceptre]

Loads of foxes all over the place round here (Leicester). If I'm walking home late at night I'm pretty much guarenteed to see a fox going about its business. I like them. I'm struggling not to go on an anti fox hunting rant, but this isnt the thread for that.....

[504GL]

Loads of foxes all over the place round here (Leicester). If I'm walking home late at night I'm pretty much guarenteed to see a fox going about its business. I like them. I'm struggling not to go on an anti fox hunting rant, but this isnt the thread for that.....

I really do like them too Sometimes when we go for walks in the dark I shine my torch into the field and you see the glow of their eyes I live in a small village so it's not uncommon to see badgers and hedgehogs and for someone like myself who grew up in Australia all these animals are new to me We had a woodpecker who would come into our garden and eay peanuts from a peanut feeder we put out. Really nice bird and I'm not into wimpy little tweety birds usually

[Cavcraft]

Kestrels are small Billy - they're the hovering ones. Beautiful birds. Buzzards are fapping huge.

 

We saw what we think was a juvenline Golden Eagle in Scotland.

 

They're big too.

 

What a bunch of twitchers we are!

Cheers. That bird is stunning, I'd love to see something like that. Last time I saw a 'real' buzzard (as opposed to the 'supposed' ones at work) was a few years back near near Wem in Shropshire. Even from a distance they were huge and are absolutely stunning things.

 

Mr S: full agreement about the hunting thing matey.

[The Liberator]

Cheers. That bird is stunning, I'd love to see something like that. Last time I saw a 'real' buzzard (as opposed to the 'supposed' ones at work) was a few years back near near Wem in Shropshire. Even from a distance they were huge and are absolutely stunning things.

Ah Wem, the old alma mater. Plenty of old buzzards there.