What made you happy today?

[Inkyfingers]

I was lucky enough to fly in Spitfire ML407, which was incredible.

 

[silverfrost]

Alex Henshaw,  used to test Spitfires built in Birmingham,   The place that the Jaguar factory now sits, Just off the  spitfire memorial Island,  Famous for his display flight up Birmingham low level and upside down straight up the street ! , to scare the Mayor who had asked him to do it, even after the pilot himself said it would be to dangerous due to the built up area and risk of no where to crash the plane if the engine failed.   The Mayor never forgot that day after Alex gave him more than he was expecting, neither did the folks of Birmingham,  

The Man was a true ledgend 

 

 

 

[theelanman]

handing my notice in and telling them where they can shove it....!!!!!

[molemot]

That photograph of Henshaw was taken, I believe, at Rochester Airport after he got back from his record breaking flight to Cape Town and back. He was so knackered he had to be lifted out of the cockpit of his Percival Mew Gull...you can see that he'd had a nosebleed...! Coming across France his only navigational waypoint was the Eiffel Tower sticking up out of the fog....his books are well worth reading... His Cape Town record stood for over 70 years, and the present record is only 4 hours faster.

[molemot]

Just to add a bit more to the Alex Henshaw story....last time I was at the RAF Museum at Hendon, I was amazed to see his Mew Gull,in full record/race trim, hanging from the ceiling....butchered beyond belief to fit the necessary supporting structure. I was standing there with my mouth hanging open at the sheer blind idiocy of this, when one of the attendants came over and explained that it was a reproduction made specifically for this display, and Henshaw himself had contributed to the costs incurred! The real Mew Gull has been rebuilt several times after various accidents.

[Mark Blanchard]

I bought another Mustang today.  This one's a 1969 Mustang Mach 1 351 4 barrel M code

 

 

[DaveC72]

That, is a thing of beauty.  Seriously gorgeous.  You must be delighted?

More pictures when you have them, please!

[Mark Blanchard]

Will do.  Had the car checked out today by a Mustang specialist and he said it's as good as it gets.  It's an all original, low miles, rust free California car.

[DaveC72]

Well Mark, you've made me happy today.  Just spent a very pleasant hour reading up on your new car.  'muricans have great pride in their automotive heritage, so there was plenty to read!

[mayevora]

On 20/03/2017 at 13:22, Bibs said:

I most certainly was! I said on the way there I'd be happy if they let me touch it without getting told off but to sit in it... Awesome

My feet never leave the ground as I don't fly anymore. That just might tempt me out of retirement though. ?

[theelanman]

On Mon Mar 20 2017 at 14:45, theelanman said:

handing my notice in and telling them where they can shove it....!!!!!

Having told work where to shove it.......they want to put me on gardening leave and pay me for my notice period.........boom.......

I feel a holiday coming on.......lol

[Barrykearley]

You jammy bastard @theelanman

[Bibs]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b08jjv11/south-east-today-evening-news-21032017

Watch from 20.30 - That's our footage on the news!

[theelanman]

[Steve V8]

It wasn't so much, what made me happy, but what made my VW mad son happy,

Picked this Mk2 3 door Golf driver up at a local classic auction this morning. Surprised him with it when he finished work this afternoon, he is one very happy boy, dad got man hugs.

[Bibs]

How cool is this, doorstep delivery from a local dairy farm! 

[silverfrost]

I miss the old milk men,  reminds me of times when life was a little slower than it seems these days 

[DaveyT]

That'll be Gold Top on the right, then? ?

[C8RKH]

That made me really unhappy @Bibs to be honest. Reminded me how fluked up wea re these days.  i mean 30 years ago plus, we used to get our milk, orange juice, potatoes, eggs, cream, and bread delivered by a jolly wee nice chap in an Electric milk float. He used to deliver the milk and juice in pint glass bottles, that we would wash after we have finished with them. He would then come and pick up said bottles and use them again. And again. And again.  No one ever discussed how green this was. Social responsibility and ECo warriors and all the other current bullshit had not been invented back then. You see, life was much simpler and we were all much more sensible. I mean, milk in glass bottles, to the door step, and then the bottles reused all whilst being transported by the Ernie the milkman on his electric cart.  How sensible was that.

Somehow. We lost our way. Forgot what how to behave. Now, we're just totally fluked up.

Not nostalgia for the old days. More weariness at how bright young things today believe they know it all and have all the right answers. Sometimes, to get to the right answer you don't need to be a bright young MBA with a e-commerce whizz bang what ever. Sometimes, you just need to look back over your shoulder a short way to find the sensible things to do.

I never even got started on how you could by a 56lb sack of potatoes, or carrots, or turnips, or 22lb of onions from the farm shop, straight out of the field, and then keep in the shed for months as you used them.  these days, you'd be lucky if your supermarket carrots weren't all limp after 3 days and your spuds not sprouting after 4!  God knows what they do to the veg in supermarkets but they do seem to mess about with it a lot.

Anyways. On a plus note to end. Glad you've gone back to the old ways and you have the option to.  That's progress!

 

 

 

[Bazza 907]

I used to be a milkman with my own electric float. Gave it up as I wanted to get up even earlier.   

[C8RKH]

Shame. As with that Essex you really would eb the fastest milkman and people would have written songs about you and everyfing.....

 

[Chillidoggy]

On 20/03/2017 at 13:37, Bibs said:

 

I think that @Sparky may wish to note the fact that the ultimate piston-engined flying machine has a boost gauge.

#Moralhighgrundregained. #upyours.

[Sparky]

Bet it stays in place on throttle-up too.

#itsalemon

[Barrykearley]

Looks like the cockpit heater works too

[C8RKH]

Just taking my Evora for a spin yesterday after the LEGS meeting made me happy. Very happy. 

I had nowhere to go specifically so just drove and found nice quiet highland roads to explore. Just me. The Evora. The sun blazing down. Little wind. The open windows. No wife to complain about my driving. No snivelling little brats in the back. Just the smell of the fresh air. The sound of the highlands. The growl of my 2bular headers and Lotus sports exhaust bouncing of the rock faces and echoing in the glens.

Not a squeak. Not a rattle or a creak. No issues. No little niggles. Rifle bolt for a gearshift. Just motoring perfection. But better!

Not a care in the world. Just driving for the sake of driving with nowhere to be. Pure, totally selfish indulgence. 

For 3 hours. I felt like a God. Like Thor riding his bolt of lightening across the highland hills and through the glens.  Privileged and blessed.  My god I truly love my Evora. What a bloody fantastic little plastic car it truly is. 

On the way home came across three guys on this:  http://www.endurorally.com/pages/flying-scotsman-rally-2017  Caught up with them just outside Dunkeld (three 1920's Bentley's - amzing cars, sounded and looked immense).  Followed them through Dunkeld - one guy shouts at his family on the narrow main street in Dunkeld - "wow look at those old beauties, and look son, a ferrari behind them! ".

What a lucky fecker i am. Sometimes I think we forget just how lucky we are.

Hope you all had a great weekend with your little plastic cars too.