What makes you grin? Antidote to grumpy thread

[wuvvum]

On the subject of enjoyable drives, I had one of the most enjoyable drives of my life yesterday, driving this:

 

 

along here:

 

 

Somebody I know had bought the Sunbeam from Preston, and didn't want to drive it all the way back to Norfolk, so I offered to get it for him. I came back cross-country (Manchester - Chesterfield - Mansfield - Newark) and I'm glad I did - the road through the Derbyshire dales was completely traffic-free for most of the good bit, and the Sunbeam was enormous fun to drive in an old-fashioned kind of a way - more than enough power for the uphill bits, adequate brakes for the downhill bits and surprisingly good handling through the twisty bits. In fact it's the best mid-'50s car I've ever driven - I did 270 miles in it non-stop (bar a fuel stop at Kings Lynn) and got out the other end as fresh as if I'd done it in a Mondeo. In fact I want one, badly. Unfortunately my shite-buying budget won't quite stretch to a decent one.

[Pillock]

I recognise those lofty chevrons..... one of my favourite driving roads! When I picked the Golf up from sporty-shite I bought it back that way for twisty fun.

[dollywobbler]

Nice one Wuv. They're classy motors alright. Wuv's classic car transport service ltd!

[Pete-M]

Being they type of chap who actually enjoys a bit of secret hippy activity I wandered off to a nice quiet place this morning to watch the sunrise (Summer Solstice, y'see).

 

Was worth it.

 

[retrogeezer]

Great photos all....(sunrise/twisty roads etc)

[Guest]

Italian police movie soundtracks.

[barrett]

Italian police movie soundtracks.

Aye, I'll drink to that.

Loving the sunrise photos Pete, I was still stuck at work for that so I missed out

[CIH]

On the subject of enjoyable drives, I had one of the most enjoyable drives of my life yesterday, driving this:

 

 

along here:

 

 

Somebody I know had bought the Sunbeam from Preston, and didn't want to drive it all the way back to Norfolk, so I offered to get it for him. I came back cross-country (Manchester - Chesterfield - Mansfield - Newark) and I'm glad I did - the road through the Derbyshire dales was completely traffic-free for most of the good bit, and the Sunbeam was enormous fun to drive in an old-fashioned kind of a way - more than enough power for the uphill bits, adequate brakes for the downhill bits and surprisingly good handling through the twisty bits. In fact it's the best mid-'50s car I've ever driven - I did 270 miles in it non-stop (bar a fuel stop at Kings Lynn) and got out the other end as fresh as if I'd done it in a Mondeo. In fact I want one, badly. Unfortunately my shite-buying budget won't quite stretch to a decent one.

Can't recall the road (may have been the A34) but between Derby and Stockport there's a house in the middle of nowhere with literally a dozen or so derelict P7s I was going to stop and get piccys but it looked a little "dueling banjos"....

[MrDuke]

My job. Yes it really is utterly and totally shit, but sometimes it does make me quite happy.

 

We're allowed up to 5 days per year classed as "carer's leave" on full pay, solely for, well, looking after family members with severe illness. I'd already used up nearly 4 days by the beginning of last week, ferrying Mrs_Duke to and from hospital at very short notice, sitting with her while the doctors talked bollocks & wound her up, stopping her punching them etc etc.

I was on the point of taking a week off with stress, being physically unable to talk politely to stroppy public on the phone, or even concentrate on the paperwork for 8 hrs at a stretch, but my line manager suggested I try working half-days, from 10-2, which I've been doing for a week.

When he called me into the office on Friday for an update, I asked him how much annual leave I needed to take to make up all the time - to which he replied that as far as he was concerned, I'd just worked a 40-hr week. No questions asked

It also appears that he's been personally taking over huge chunks of my workload in my absence & taking most of the crap from other depts whose demands haven't been met in time. He hasn't been offered any cover for my post by his superiors, nor will he get any cover, at all, when I have to take 2+ weeks off for Mrs_Duke's op early next month (all ur public sector budgetzz r gon etc).

 

The strangest thing about the situation is, no-one else has a nice word to say about him. When I moved to his office a year ago, I genuinely believed him to be a total cnut based on everything that I'd heard, even from 'reliable' sources. Nowt as queer as folk....

[chaseracer]

...my line manager suggested I try working half-days, from 10-2, which I've been doing for a week.

When he called me into the office on Friday for an update, I asked him how much annual leave I needed to take to make up all the time - to which he replied that as far as he was concerned, I'd just worked a 40-hr week. No questions asked

It also appears that he's been personally taking over huge chunks of my workload in my absence & taking most of the crap from other depts whose demands haven't been met in time...

This helps to restore your faith in human nature, doesn't it?

[Cavcraft]

For some obscure reason (medication?) I actually quite like this in a 'laughing with it and at it' way...

 

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... =2&afsrc=1

[autofive]

For some obscure reason (medication?) I actually quite like this in a 'laughing with it and at it' way...

 

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... =2&afsrc=1

thats hideous - much prefer John Dodd's fake roller

 

[Mr Lobster]

Telling my boss my thoughts and then handing in my notice this morning. I am now on 'gardening leave'.

 

Grinning like a Cheshire cat now

 

Does mean that I'm going to be fully self employed from now on though

[Station]

[Angrydicky]

I have just put down a deposit on some fantastic, BEIGE shite to replace the 2CV, all being well it should be delivered here on Thursday

[Alexg]

excellent, I can imagine him beating the shit out of you... then patching you up

[dollywobbler]

I have just put down a deposit on some fantastic, BEIGE shite to replace the 2CV, all being well it should be delivered here on Thursday

Would this be Maestro shaped by any chance? They aren't as much fun in the bends as a Tin Snail, but hopefully the insurance situation will sort itself out!

[Angrydicky]

I have just put down a deposit on some fantastic, BEIGE shite to replace the 2CV, all being well it should be delivered here on Thursday

Would this be Maestro shaped by any chance? They aren't as much fun in the bends as a Tin Snail, but hopefully the insurance situation will sort itself out!

Yup, you guessed it! I have managed to negotiate a very reasonable settlement for the 2CV from the insurance company. Sadly I just think it needs too much work for me to put it back on the road, so it will be going on Ebay soon

 

Although it will probably end up being broken for spares, it would be great for it to be restored, as it really was spot on mechanically and very nippy before the accident.

[Guest]

[Station]

Is this the same cafeteria you acquired the squits from?

 

Was driving from Betws-y-Coed to Wrexham today, trying to find a single petrol station. Seriously low on petrol, couldn't find one anywhere!

Went round a corner and the car cut out - I conveniently stopped next to the driveway of a large farmhouse type home. Christ, I thought, I haven't got a clue where a petrol station is, I haven't got a petrol can, and I've only got a card on me! Before I set off for the mystery petrol hunt, the presumed owner pulled into his driveway in one of these (don't know what it is):

 

 

and I then got the 'Excuse me excuse me'. He asked what the problem was, and I said I'd run out of petrol. He offered to drive me down to the nearest petrol station! As he was having a barbeque he went up to tell his wife, but came back with a can full of petrol which he put into my car, he wouldn't even take money for it, no matter how much I offered. I went to start the car, and the battery was dead! Argh. I must've looked like a complete idiot! So he ran up to the house again, and him and his son gave me a push. Awesome!

I've stopped many times for soft buggers walking with petrol cans, and I believe this is some sort of karma returning.

[Minimad5]

Fantastic story Dave.

 

What makes me grin is the effort some guy has gone to, to make this CLICK HERE

[vicsmith]

Those Blueberry Muffins look like a good deal at first, but they also don`t look very big. Are they selling mini-muffins at 25p a pop, and thinking they`re doing folk a big massive favour by doing that?

[ashmicro]

Fantastic story Dave.

 

What makes me grin is the effort some guy has gone to, to make this CLICK HERE

Didn't make me grin - it made me gasp! Awesome work, very clever.

[Tayne]

.

[Parky]

Cleared my garage out and fitted some shelves from Ikea. Bought two sizes, three large and one small and I noticed when I got home that the girl on the till scanned the small one four times as she thought I had four shelf kits the same! Cheers love, thats saved me thirty quid!

[brammy777]

Well, Ive started driving lessons again and somehow they are actually going really well. I have to admit, the Fiesta is a brilliant car, miles ahead of the Mini I was learning in previously.

Also, last Friday, we had to move the college Nova, so three of us got in and someone bump started it and we did four laps of the college in a rusty 20 year old Nova, it was brilliant.

[Parky]

Good stuff Brammy, I remember learning to drive in my Dads Renault 12 over local industrial estates on Sunday mornings. That was followed up with mates letting me have a go after they'd passed their tests.

 

Ah, happy memories of kangarooing Chevettes around school playgrounds Like you say, brilliant stuff!

[Guest]

Those Blueberry Muffins look like a good deal at first, but they also don`t look very big. Are they selling mini-muffins at 25p a pop, and thinking they`re doing folk a big massive favour by doing that?

Have a look at the spelling on the sign...

They're not mini muffins. They're so briliant (sic) that the Superlative Department got their spelling wrong....

[Station]

I can't stop drinking fluids, and I bought two cans of these today:

 

 

And they're flipping amazing.

[Guest]

Rubicon is absolutely amazing, a proper "old skool" pop where you feel like you're taking whole years off your life when you drink it down. Check out the carton-based non-fizzy efforts too, the watermelon one is possibly the best Ribena-esque drink ever made.