La Collection - Singular for a plural (or summat)

[CaptainBoom]

Here we go again!

This one is going to be a long one. It starts with taking the youngest daughter to a birthday party in Bromley, Southeast London and then running away for a few hours while over excited nine year olds attempt to blind themselves with laser guns.

Vital information:

Cable laid = 1
Breakfast: Walked to ‘Spoons and put myself on the outside of this lot.

No prizes for guessing that I’m picking up, it was advertised for sale on here. I broke my own rule, performed roffleus interruptus and swooped on to buy Paulauto’s Citroen C3 Pluriel.

As per first photo, next to and around the Laser Quest place is a local motor trader. I found this in their shared yard:

Another Pluriel! Also a W124

My train out of here leaves at 14:21. Not a lot will happen between now and then. Not least because I’ve had a Wetherspoons facsimile of a full English, so I won’t be moving quickly!

[Schaefft]

Congrats on the C3, it was getting a little silly with practically giving the car away in the end!

[Peter C]

@CaptainBoom

Good luck, you’ve got the weather for a top down journey home.

I think that the W124 is a W201.

[CaptainBoom]

3 hours ago, Peter C said:

@CaptainBoom

Good luck, you’ve got the weather for a top down journey home.

I think that the W124 is a W201.

Thanks, I still haven’t got the hang of Mercedes naming conventions. I went for a wander, who knew Bromley, a fairly ordinary suburb of London has a few shite-spots?

[CaptainBoom]

The last two were around the corner from each other.

[CaptainBoom]

Anyway, the journey begins.
dinner organised for kids ✅ 
Long suffering sister installed for childcare purposes ✅ 
Insurance ✅ 
Train tickets ✅

It starts with a quick walk to the station, past some allotments where a family were working on their plot. I didn’t snap the family, seemed a bit wrong

I’m generally very disparaging about where I live, but seeing a family doing family things without screens in front of them was quite heartening. If I was more normal, I’d like to do the same, but I have a predilection for adventures to buy cheap cars.

Chuff-chuff number 1 achieved:

I can’t believe that I caught trains to London and back for 11 years, it’s nice to have someone else driving though. 14 stops to London, so quite a bit of reading to get done.

[CaptainBoom]

London achieved, although I struggle to recognise bits of it.

Tower Bridge, The Millennium (aka the wobbly) Bridge, Cannon St. Station and all that.

Blackfriars road bridge, Charing X Station, the remains of the original Blackfriars Station bridge, Sea Containers House, Doggetts coat and badge, and the Millennium Wheel (or whatever it’s called now)

[CaptainBoom]

Chuff chuff number 2 achieved:

And the disused King Cross Thameslink station where I met my wife in 2003.

Now charging through North London on a fast Thameslink train to Harpenden, then it’s (allegedly) a rail replacement bus to Bedford, then one more train to Chesterfield. Here’s the weird bit, if this works out I’ll have done this journey for £26.50, which is insanely cheap. I didn’t even split ticket it as it came out the same. The normal route up through London, train to Grantham and then another going to Chesterfield came out as £113! Mad!

[CaptainBoom]

This is gonna be tight!

After many coaches leaving to so many destinations, none of them Bedford. I’ve scrambled onto one. Atmosphere is very different out of London, strangers chatting about their day and onward connections. Harpenden is pretty but heavingly busy. I’ve got my head down reading to block out the thought of missing my connection.

[Matty]

Quite glad youve bought this. I had a C3 in a moment of skint weakness when the youngest was born. Top spec 1600 with leather. I mean, obviously it was awful, but then in wasnt. Dead comfy, went well and just worked. Mega cheap. Good car.

[CaptainBoom]

39 minutes ago, Matty said:

Quite glad youve bought this. I had a C3 in a moment of skint weakness when the youngest was born. Top spec 1600 with leather. I mean, obviously it was awful, but then in wasnt. Dead comfy, went well and just worked. Mega cheap. Good car.

I’m hoping for quite a lot of that list, something with fettling will just do ‘car things’ without drama and agro.

I lost an old work colleague last week and I was fortunate enough to see him for the final time last Sunday. Pete got me out of the shit a few times in my early days working in a bank in London. He gave me a proper bollocking when I turned up to work still drunk, but then found me spare uniform and poured me cups of coffee so that I could function.  His passing woke me up to the fact that our time is short, and I’d like to do things while I can. 
 

In typing all that, my rail replacement bus driver strike is 3/3, our chap was a ninja and spanked an Enviro 200 to impressive speed up the M1 and A421, all the time chatting with anyone who would listen. I caught my Sheffield bound train with two minutes to spare.

Here is Bedford (probably more to it than that, but I didn’t see it):

Impressive plate on this T5 I saw at the cab rank

[Matty]

1 minute ago, CaptainBoom said:

I lost an old work colleague last week and I was fortunate enough to see him for the final time last Sunday. Pete got me out of the shit a few times in my early days working in a bank in London. He gave me a proper bollocking when I turned up to work still drunk, but then found me spare uniform and poured me cups of coffee so that I could function.  His passing woke me up to the fact that our time is short, and I’d like to do things while I can.

Ive been fortunate to work with some brilliant people. My mate at work who ive been with 15 year now is 66 this time. So soon a decision has to be made. Even though theres 20 year between us he has been such a good friend for all that time. We work together and socialise together. Itll be like having an arm cut off. I know exactly where your coming from. My condolances bud.

[CaptainBoom]

Chuff chuff number 3:

shiny and quite pleasant, also pretty empty. Travelling on a Sunday has its advantages.

 

[CaptainBoom]

Car collected, can confirm that @autopaul is an absolute gent. 11/10 would buy mad French cars from him again.

obligatory pez shot:

and part three of the mission. Part one was dropping my daughter off at a kids birthday party at 10am remember that, and part three is dropping off a birthday card for my sister who lives in Derby. As I don’t travel much, that’ll confuse her when she opens the envelope. Here’s another picture of the chubby little thing, the C3 that is!

Now, just the 130 mile hike home down the M1 and around the M25, sleep and the off to work in the morning

[Matty]

37 minutes ago, CaptainBoom said:

Car collected, can confirm that @autopaul is an absolute gent. 11/10 would buy mad French cars from him again.

obligatory pez shot:

and part three of the mission. Part one was dropping my daughter off at a kids birthday party at 10am remember that, and part three is dropping off a birthday card for my sister who lives in Derby. As I don’t travel much, that’ll confuse her when she opens the envelope. Here’s another picture of the chubby little thing, the C3 that is!

Now, just the 130 mile hike home down the M1 and around the M25, sleep and the off to work in the morning

Its even a good colour!! Bonne chance mon ami. Hope it serves you well.

[wesacosa]

well bought, Dan. looks great 

 

[High Jetter]

Thanks for an entertaining read, hope the car serves you well.

[Noel Tidybeard]

seems odd seeing one in red

[vaughant]

13 hours ago, High Jetter said:

Thanks for an entertaining read, hope the car serves you well.

Yes very much enjoyed that. Good little things them, do you a good turn I'm sure 👍🏼

[High Jetter]

1 hour ago, vaughant said:

Yes very much enjoyed that. Good little things them, do you a good turn I'm sure 👍🏼

Not moi, get me in one and I'd struggle to get out! 😀