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The Forum > General Discussion > Do you have something you really love?

Do you have something you really love?

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I did love the yacht I lived on, & sailed over much of the Pacific for 19 years.

I love my 23 year old stallion, we've had since he was a 7 month old colt. I trained him to show jump, & in turn he taught 2 of my kids. He taught them how to win, & more importantly, he taught them to still enjoy the day, when they lost. I love the way he calls & comes over, when ever I go down the paddock.

But most of all "things" I love my car. It's a 1980 Triumph sports car. Not a particularly popular model, or very fast, by today's standards, but it suites me, & I "built" it.

Ten years ago, when the kids no longer went show jumping, or out with us much, I bought 2 semi wrecks, one with no engine, & one with a failed gearbox, in pretty poor condition, for the princely sum of $1300. Over the next 12 months, I built one car, mostly from the 2, but with a lot of new, & second hand parts.

I could have bought a very nice one for the final cost, but this is not just a nice car, this is "my" car. I know every nut & bolt in it, & when the motor is puring, it's puring because of how I put it together.

I love the simple technology which can be "fixed" with a bit of bailing twine, & a length of fencing wire, & I love the way it feels on our bumpy country roads.

It's given me 9 years of happy motoring, & I wouldn't swap it for half a dozen new cars. Whats more, it's worth more now than it was 9 years ago.

What isn't to love about it.

So that's my secret love, what's yours.
Posted by Hasbeen, Wednesday, 14 July 2010 12:40:03 AM
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2 cross Foxys Sky and Blue, my NRL team its flag on the wall,the southern cross one beside it.
Back veranda on a summer night or when the moon comes up over the hill.
Life good days and bad election nights the last and the next, oh will enjoy my states one in march too.
It is, aways will be the little things that make life great,will never own a boat but love the sea always life live it love it and be happy warts and all.
Posted by Belly, Wednesday, 14 July 2010 7:50:58 AM
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Do I have something I really love?

Not my car, not my job or house or any particular person.

The things that I love the most are - the karri forest of the deep southwest, boab trees in the Kimberley, blue Banksias in the heathland on the mountains of Hinchinbrook Island, fan palm forest at Mission Beach, wreath Lechenaultias at Mullewa, huon pines in Tasmania, wattles in the Warrumbingles….and the list goes on and on…..and on.
Posted by Ludwig, Wednesday, 14 July 2010 8:54:21 AM
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Bungled that - wattles in the Warrumbungles!
Posted by Ludwig, Wednesday, 14 July 2010 8:55:47 AM
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I'm not very materialistic, so there aren't many 'things' that I love.

Today the thing that I most love is my combustion heater, because it's absolutely vile here today. They're forecasting sleet later...

As far as other objects go, my 12-foot tinny and my laptop are probably my favourite things. Of course, there's my lovely old dog but she ranks slightly higher than an 'object'.

Like Ludwig, what I really love are the innumerable special places in the Australian landscape where I've been, and that I've yet to discover.
Posted by CJ Morgan, Wednesday, 14 July 2010 9:17:22 AM
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Sounds as though you live in Tasmania CJM ? Come up to Sunny and warm Queensland. That's what I love
Posted by snake, Wednesday, 14 July 2010 9:26:36 AM
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Heh - I AM in Queensland! But in the far south where we actually have a real winter... even snow occasionally. But I kinda like that, having lived for 20 years in the tropical north - it's only these cold, grey, blowy and sleety days that are a problem.

Not really, actually. It's very snug here, sipping good coffee and munching crumpets by the fire :) I don't have to go anywhere today, so I won't!
Posted by CJ Morgan, Wednesday, 14 July 2010 9:35:19 AM
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Hasbeen... I'd love to know how you carted a stallion around on your yacht for 19 years! And taught it show jumping on the poop deck, simply amazing.

Funny... I had a TR4A once, rebuilt from a running un-roadworthy wreck. I felt a real dick in it with the top down, so bought a Surrey top, before giving up on it as being slow, noisy, cold and a generally impractical vehicle.

I think 'love' would be too extreme for me, for a car or similar lump of engineering. Appreciate, or enjoy, maybe.

Belly... so does that cross Foxy live with you? How odd. Who'd a thought?

Ludwig, I thought you were going to burst into song with The Sound Of Music for a moment, but that does seem to be more 'lovable' than cars, and I do have favourite spots that shine above others for their natural beauty, as you and CJM do.

I do relish a stoush, and I 'love' honesty in other people, but that too is not really 'love' is it?

I think I'd have to question Hasbeen's use of 'love', even though I can translate what he means.
Posted by The Blue Cross, Wednesday, 14 July 2010 10:06:29 AM
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What a lovely topic! Thanks Hasbeen!

(Puts thinking cap on.....I know there must be something...er,...um..thinking,thinking..).

Privacy.

Pathetic I know-but it's hugely valued.
Posted by Ginx, Wednesday, 14 July 2010 10:58:01 AM
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Hasbeen,
I just love my shetland filly(3 years old). She is only broken to lead and am too lazy to break her to harness, but she comes and nuzzles me and has a personality of her own. Her job is to reduce fire risk on 3 sides outside of house yard, she is confined by a hot wire to that area and does a sterling job of hazard reduction.

Other things i love is my chainsaw, my MF tractor and my rifles which are craftman made and shoot very straight.

Seeing this is not such a serious subject, I will ask you about Abby Sunderlands boat 'Wildeyes', Apparently she is still afloat and still drifting East on about 40 degrees S. Near enough to centre of Indian Ocean. It has been said that there is a slight chance she may end up on the WA coast, which i guess will depend on winds and current.

Do you think that is a possibility and how accurately is the tracking?

I suppose if she gets closer, the Sunderlands or somebody will consider going to retrieve her as she must still be worth a fair bit?

No doubt Abby loved her as you did your boat
Posted by Banjo, Wednesday, 14 July 2010 11:04:44 AM
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Do I have something I really love?

Lots of things.

Walks on the beach, lying in the backyard,
walking in the parks, having a glass of wine
and a meal with family and friends.

I love the Dandenong Ranges, being with nature
is so humbling. I love the amazing support
system of my friends and family. I love meeting
people from all walks of life, communicating
with sincerity and honesty. I love people who
act with compassion. I love the contentment
of sharing, of oneness with another human being.
As you walk together holding hands, when you sit
next to each other reading in the evening, as
you laugh simultaneously at a movie or stroll
through a park or on the beach, your souls are
merged. All the world's your paradise.

What makes me happiest? It's never anything I can
quantify like a house, or a possession or something
I can touch. Its the spirit of the human being, which
can fill me with more joy than anything in the world.
Posted by Foxy, Wednesday, 14 July 2010 11:05:50 AM
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cont'd ...

I forgot to add one more thing...

Tenderness. I love tenderness,
but its such a rare quality to find
these days.
Posted by Foxy, Wednesday, 14 July 2010 11:12:08 AM
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Blue cross that was the point. I did mean "things", as distinct from people, places, animals, [yes I know I brought the stallion into it], or activities.

Yesterday I actually had nothing I had to do "today". It was the first lovely day for some time. As a special indulgence I gave myself the afternoon off, & went for a drive up Tamborine Mountain.

I went up the "Goat Track" from Canungra at the southern end, so narrow it is one way traffic, with traffic lights top & bottom, had a cup of coffee, sitting in the glorious sun, bought a kilo of sugar I really don't need at the Fudge Shop. I then came came down the northern end.

I went alone, & if I drove a Holden/Ford/Toyota, it would not have been a pleasure, & I wouldn't have done it, but my car is special, it's a pleasure, just to sit in it. The pain in the knee, & the back just melt away, & I feel at home. As I pured up to my gate I would have loved to thank her for the great day, but even I know she can't hear.

I gave the wrong impression about the boat. I owned it for 19 years, cruised it for 7 years, lived on it for another 5, them spent 7 years bringing myself to part with her. All that beautiful mahogany, that I had varnished so often was hard to part with.

Belly, I bought my yacht, & lived on it in Sydney, because I could not afford to buy a house. It really was a cheapskates way of living near the city. It also wasn't bad having a water view in all 360 degrees around you, after a hard day at the factory.

I can imagine someone who had built or extensively renovated their own home would have similar feelings to those I have for this car, but they couldn't have driven it around Tamborine mountain, could they?
Posted by Hasbeen, Wednesday, 14 July 2010 1:07:45 PM
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Hasbeen.. I know that section of road you write about.

I did build a house myself, with my wife very much doing her bit of the hard yacker too.

She mixed all the bricks while I pressed them, and she mixed all the concrete for the floor, while I barrowed it.

It was quite involved, and interesting, being a mudbrick house that required digging the hole to get the mud (backhoe task thankfully), jackhammering through solid sandstone for the septic tank, pressing the bricks, laying them, and doing all the rest.

Tons of soil and loam hand sifted through a screen for the bricks.

(Next time, rammed earth!)

I got tilers and cabinet makers in to finish off the inside, having by then got a full time paid job that promised more than mere income.

Sad to say, we lived in the completed house but a few months as the job required moving, so we sold it.

Strange emotions involved in spending four-five years building a house as money became available, just to sell it when it was ready to live in.

Them's the breaks.

I've been back to the area a few times, within sight of the Great Divide, just at the bottom of it in fact, and yes, the creek, the trees, the hills, all evoke not only strong thoughts of the beauty of the scenery, but also good memories of the time spent working out how to build a house from scratch, from books and old copies of Owner Builder.

We sold the house, and bought the worst house in a good street in the new town, and rejigged it to 'respectable' status, which has been another joint experience and assisted in really appreciating the house, and altering its character with our changes.

But I'd 'love' to start again, with a virgin block of ground, and build a smaller, insulated, no-maintenance, properly aligned passive solar modern home, with some character built in along with the ease-of-living.

Then again... I'd love to cycle across Europe with my wife too.
Posted by The Blue Cross, Wednesday, 14 July 2010 1:46:11 PM
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Dear Hasbeen,

I fully understand where you're coming from.
You've worked hard all your life and you
deserve to enjoy the things you love.
Your car sounds wonderful, especially the
things that you're able to enjoy while driving it.
Your yacht was your home, and your horse - well
he was a special friend.

The "thing," that gives me so much pleasure is
a musical instrument that I was given many years
ago. "Kankles," a Lithuanian string instrument
of ancient origin. In common Baltic it's called
"kanteles" derived from the verb "kantei", which
corresponds to the Latin "canere" or "cantare,"
to play, to sing, and is similar to the Latvian
"kokles", the Estonian "kaneles,"
and the Finnish "kanteles."

It's played by plucking
the strings, which are stretched over a flat wooden
soundbox, with either the fingers of the right hand
or a plectrum. It's very similiar to the zither.
Mine was hand-made out of the one piece of wood -
beautifully hand carved, and has the most soul-stirring
sound. It has an extremely calming effect both to play,
and listen to.
Posted by Foxy, Wednesday, 14 July 2010 1:47:36 PM
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Hasbeen,

I like the idea of living on a boat... maybe a converted barge on the further reaches of the Thames....

I like that our little house is stuffed with books (not all of them in bookshelves)..I like the fact that my cat is sitting on my knee while I type this post...I like my garden, my chickens and my vegie patch...and most of all, I like and value the time we have reclaimed in our lives by not rushing about like mad things to keep up with everyone else.
Posted by Poirot, Wednesday, 14 July 2010 1:51:44 PM
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Hasbeen

Nice to have a topic wherein we can be sympatico.

I once owned an MG Midget but with a 1250cc engine. Had a better power to weight ratio than the 'B's. But that was then...

Now I live in the Dandenong ranges, my home near the apex of a hill, I look across a valley filled with trees, there are roads, but I can't see or hear them. I could be out in the rural areas. None of my neighbours are so close they see into my home or garden, allowing me to feel a part of the natural world. My home is in desperate need of repair and looks more like a tree-house than what is accepted as a home in these days of McMansions. I love it, every morning I look out whether it is to sunshine or rain, I see king parrots, rosellas, tiny spine-bills, black yellow tailed cockatoos as well as the ubiquitous sulphur crested, the more-front-than-Myers maggies and the super alert kookaburras.

In the evening ringtail possums climb the posts of my verandah and brushies try to mug me for food - they never get any but they never give up. Koalas grunt alien moans, underscored by Tawny Frogmouths in the Mountain Ash and Messmates.

Peace.

PS

My only fave piece of machinery now is my Honda brush cutter because it is easy to start and makes me feel like one of the army grunts in Aliens.
Posted by Severin, Wednesday, 14 July 2010 2:45:28 PM
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Things i love,
Without a question my 1969, 450 Ducati single and it's friend a 1983 600 Pantah. Don't get to ride very often with kid's these days but the pure pleasure never changes.
Got a jet ski last year to have some family water fun and have been building a relationship with it, but with the NSW licence and Rego prejudice toward jet ski's it is going to go in favour of a hobie Cat.
Posted by nairbe, Wednesday, 14 July 2010 3:13:24 PM
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Yes I relate to many of you out there. I had a cruising boat for some years. Spent a lot of time on Sydney harbour and spent three seasons in the whitsundays. Had an old MG VA which a lot of people have never heard of because few were made. A four seater open tourer one and a half litre engine which I rebuilt. Wish I had it now as it would be worth a bit I feel. I'm thinking of keeping chooks but I have an orchard of citrus trees plus mangoes, bananas and paw paws which I am forced to share with all the critters. Retirement is great as one has the time to indulge oneself with the things one loves. Incidentally I have three chains saws !
Posted by snake, Wednesday, 14 July 2010 5:33:22 PM
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A beaut Thread thank you Hasbeen.

I am enjoying reading each person's contribution.

1. I love my children [though do not own them]and both dogs!
2. I just LOVE and ADORE each sunset and could sit and watch until they vanish into oblivion! One day I wish to learn how to paint, the only prob being that I would not get much done as I'd be capturing each sunset...
3. Boots [leather if and when possible] although I only own 6 pairs of summer and winter shoes in total; always somehow been the situation
4. The one and only leather brown jacket that blocks out the icy winds.
5. My computer to write, my books to read, bed and dressing table.

In a nutshell my children are who I love and the rest are my possessions I enjoy in total!

Thanks for allowing me to share Hasbeen.
Posted by we are unique, Wednesday, 14 July 2010 6:13:32 PM
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Severin & Snake I know what you mean about the critters.

I planted apples, grapes a couple of peaches, an apricot, citrus, mulberries, both black & white & some odd tropical fruit trees when we came here.

We now have so many different types of birds, using the place as their own supermarket, that some days, in season, you have to wear a hat to protect yourself from the messages they drop from the sky.

There used to be a bit left for us, & a lot of damaged fruit for the horses. These days there's nothing left even for the horses.

Banjo, anyone who fetches that yacht will be entitled to a salvage claim. A marine court would make an award, taking into account the cost, & the danger, if any, involved in the salvage operation.

You can't tow a yacht behind a ship, as the yacht's hull speed is too slow. Diverting a large ship with on board cranes to fetch it would cost more than it's worth. A good sailor could set up a jury rig, & sail it back, if it's still sound, if they could get there.

My son has been told no flying, or driving for at least 3 weeks, after his operation, but he can travel, so I'm driving down to Sydney next week to bring him home for a couple of weeks R & R.

He has demanded I take the Triumph, so if you see an old sports car in that funny 70s burnt orange/red colour, buzzing up or down the New England H/way, it will probably be me.

I wonder if he wanted the Triumph for his pleasure, or mine.
Posted by Hasbeen, Wednesday, 14 July 2010 6:47:49 PM
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Hasbeen

That sounds terrific.... tooling along..... I hope the weather is clear all the way to have the top down. Wind in your hair and no cares.

I was so lucky to be in my early 20's and have a sports car. And my motorbikes. Though if you have long hair you have to tie it back - otherwise it is a driving hazard.

Every summer I have to cover my plum trees else the rosellas get them first. If the 'critters' are getting ALL your produce, Hasbeen, may be indicates that food isn't as available in the wild as it once was.
Posted by Severin, Wednesday, 14 July 2010 6:59:41 PM
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Fraccy.. MG midget ? hmmm a mate of mine put a 186 holden 6 into a Austin Healy Sprite... oh my.. it FLEW.. but always made sparks bouncing on any thing above 5mm on the road.

For me... besides a 'ditto' with foxy's Dandenongs thing, I love my trees. I go for a daily walk and health check of those on my boundary.. I love watching them grow.. I fret over my 2 Jacaranda's which seem to die each winter, but this time, they seem to be hanging in. My snow gums are looking good and my lillypilly's are growing. The most refreshing thing is wandering through the larger Eucy Scoparia and Angophera Castata with it's pink bark and in season the profusion of flowers.
Posted by ALGOREisRICH, Wednesday, 14 July 2010 7:32:04 PM
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Oh, it's all coming out now... motor bikes, sports cars... what next?

Hasbeen, what model Triumph do you have?

A Stag? A Dolomite? A 2000? A TR 'something', a Spitfire.. GTS even?

Severin... you too, you auld Greaser.

I had a 'special'... (in a very not-so-special sort of way) that sported a Matchless G12 frame, a Bonnie pre-unit engine, some sort of AMC box, ape hangers, a Dunstall style racing single seat, with number plate space built in, attached to a Watsonian sports sidecar... it was built by a fellow who worked 'on the line' at MGs where the engine plates were cut out (at lunch time I'm sure Lord Nuffield).

What a death trap!

Then there was the Ariel Huntmaster 650... the Matchless/AJS 250, the 'Fanny' Barnett and the James, the 'racing' Bantam 125 with plunger frame replete with clip-ons, rearsets and George Todd packing (top speed 65 mph) MV tank and Amal Monobloc carbie Araldited onto the cylinder block..oh dear... my chums with Panthers, Velocettes, Norton's, Enfield Constellation 700cc thunder bikes.... oh dear (again)... time to slip across to the thread about Ringo being 70!
Posted by The Blue Cross, Wednesday, 14 July 2010 7:37:33 PM
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Ah yes AL, Eucalyptus scoparia – Wallangarra whitegum. Very nice.

But Eucalyptus apocynifolia (Angophora costata to most people), known as smooth-barked apple, even though it is nothing like an apple tree, is just a most wonderful species, with its smooth salmony or grey, cream, yellow and orange patchy bark and contorted branches.

http://www.northsydney.nsw.gov.au/resources/images/Angophora_costata.jpg
Posted by Ludwig, Wednesday, 14 July 2010 7:49:31 PM
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Sevvie’s on about her plum trees and AL’s on about his gum trees.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h85hqvskiCw

Gimme a home among the gum trees, with lots of plum trees,

a sheep or two and a kangaroo, and an old rocking chair!!

Baaaa a a a a a a a!!
Posted by Ludwig, Wednesday, 14 July 2010 8:38:30 PM
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Dear Ludwig,

"The man from Menindie
Was counting sheep;
He counted so many
He went to sleep.

He counted by threes
And he counted by twos;
The rams and the lambs
And the wethers and ewes.

He counted a thousand,
A hundred and ten...
And when he woke up
He'd to count them again!"
Posted by Foxy, Wednesday, 14 July 2010 8:55:10 PM
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Hasbeen no way I was having a go, my boat if time lets me,will be C J Morgan tinny type.
One of this country's richest men owns a racing yacht and is the nicest bloke you could ever know, I know him
I would not have the skills to live in one.
Happiness has nothing to do with income.
Its a joy to sit by my fire too, cold here too CJ minus 4 one day but plus 2 is about every third day.
Even then life is joy if you let it be.
Posted by Belly, Thursday, 15 July 2010 5:49:28 AM
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Ohhhhhh LUDWIG :)... man ur scaring me... they grow THAT big ? ? ?

I don't need to worry too much I guess.. there are power lines nearby and the damn council just got a contracter to 'prune' them in a very uneven way ! grrrrrr... so I've got some lopsided scoparias and costata's now.. mope.

They regenerate pretty well though..

But the SCUMbag who dumped his KFC empties on the side of the road near them all.. did not win any popularity contests with me today that's for sure.

I've planted a whole lot of blackwood and Golden wattle along the nature strip... they grow FASSSSTTTT... yippee.. pretty soon they will hide the residence so ..no drive by's haha.
Posted by ALGOREisRICH, Thursday, 15 July 2010 7:55:27 AM
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Morn’n Foxy

Thanks for that little poetic ditty.

----
Wether he ewesed

The threes or the twos

That bloke from Menindee

Had a few loose screws!

(Er um, in his brain, I mean…..oow!)
Posted by Ludwig, Thursday, 15 July 2010 8:04:52 AM
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Boazy

Lilly Pilly fruit are very edible, some can be made into jam - like the beautiful magenta coloured ones, there is a white one the size of a nectarine (home grown variety not pumped up shop stuff) and it tastes rather like a nashi pear I'm not sure if it will grow this far south.

TBC

Yup. I really used to love the smell of motorcycle early in the morning. Ironic now, cos I over react to chemical anything these days - hence living among tree. I used to ride an old Suzuki 360 with the Ram Air cooling. I have ridden better bikes, but this old thing was solid, steady and never over heated. My fave bike was also an oldie that a friend lent out to me a 1960 BMW 600 - with those bizarre cyclinders. But the thing felt lighter than the 360 and balanced like an angle on a pin.

I am hoping that Hasbeen's triumph is a Spitfire - Stags are just a bit too common, don't you think?

My other fave car, was a reworked Mazda RX 3 - yes I said '3' not '7' which (being VERY carbon evil) was faster than the equivalent RX7 - because it was not held in check by all the pollution gear on the exhaust.

Those were the days, my friend...
Posted by Severin, Thursday, 15 July 2010 9:31:17 AM
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Severin.... "because it was not held in check by all the pollution gear on the exhaust".. a car for PH, Stern and Yabby, with no regulations holding it back eh?

I think my favourite cars have been a Chev Belair V8 and a Citroen Light 15, both extremes at different ends of the market.

Yes, the Stag... a hotch-potch engine made from two Saab V4s stuck together. An attempt to be suave, not too conservative, yet daring all at the same time, which didn't quite work out as well as perhaps it should have... probably could have done with the Rover V8.

The Spitfire could be a Hasbeen chariot, as an old Herald owner I did look out for one to move up to years ago, but I always preferred the GT6, a Spitfire with a hardtop and bigger engine.

My fourth form master had a red one and I recall we all thought he was very 'with-it' at the time.

Then again, maybe he has a TR2/3... very distinctive and still unpolished beasts.

One of my brothers friends, whose father had a stable of MG Midgets in different stages of rebuild, responded to a newspaper ad' for a 'Triumph sports car' for sale (many years ago in the UK).

Turned out to be a TR2, and on investigation it was actually a factory prototype testbed that had been fitted with a steel sheet underneath for some speed record attempt. A very battered and bruised car but it hadn't done too many miles and he just left it as-is.

Do tell us Hasbeen... what do you drive... the suspense is killing us.
Posted by The Blue Cross, Thursday, 15 July 2010 10:39:00 AM
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Amazing... just found a YouTube clip of the speed attempt in 1953:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVCEvK3JMng

Watch past the 'talking man' at the start and see the 'test pilot' take the TR2 to 125 mph.

Not bad for the engine that powered the original grey Massey Ferguson tractor for so many years... and the Vanguards, and all the TRs up to the TR5.
Posted by The Blue Cross, Thursday, 15 July 2010 11:06:14 AM
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Dear Ludwig,

"A few loose screws in a rocking chair,
Would simply be too hard to bear,
'Cause the chair could break,
No joy would come,
Rock-a-bye Ludwig, the outlook is glum!"
Posted by Foxy, Thursday, 15 July 2010 11:25:57 AM
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Foxy
Did you write those poems? very clever even remembering them.

Hasbeen,

People.

Nature that hasn't been spoiled by the yobs.

Real Democracy not the drivel that political parties proffer.

Logical informed conversation.

My late Bouvier dog :-( I still miss her. 3years now.

*music all types. from Baroque -jazz -doo wop -acopella - barbershop - harmony- 40/50/60/70s- some ethnic- Blues- r&b- acid rock rock- you get the drift...hate rap, current female screamers pop stars.*

Factual books maybe some Scifi.

Favourite cars I've owned- hotted "S" series Valiant.(rocket ship not good on cornering or stopping :-( ), Subaru Ute, Subaru station wagon, current subi car. Oh yes, HORAS old....old diesel truck (work vehicle) buried it in concrete in the end (literally)...couldn't kill it.

Least favourite, 2 year old Ford Fairlane (caught fire in car park $68k damage to other cars roller and benz. You should have heard me trying to explain that to the insurance co. Went to insurance category 8 squillion after that ), Comode- dore,(nuf said)
Hmm not sure cars... my Roles Royce (driving a battle ship...lots of naughty memories though .... cue evil laugh) Me roller? long story.
XK 150 & XK 120 look good but.......

Did I mention music ?
Posted by examinator, Thursday, 15 July 2010 12:56:42 PM
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No blue, it's not one with a tractor engine.

I bought a Morgan +4 new in 1962, which had one of those, the 1991 cc TR3A engine. Funnily enough, that car is worth so much today that I could not afford to buy it back, even if I wanted to. I raced that car for a couple of years, [it did 124.6MPH down conrod], & decided the engine really was more suitable for tractors.

No my choice of Triumph is the much maligned TR7 FHC 2 liter, & an ex US TR8 DHC, V8. I was lucky enough to buy the 7 as two wrecks, & the 8, before they started to get valuable. I am also lucky I don't have exotic, or expensive tastes.

I share the 8 with my son. He often takes it to Sydney, when he is going to be in port for a while. He tends to spend money on making the thing more powerful, then brings it back, just before it is totally broken, for me to fix, before he takes it again. He reckons it keeps me fit, & young. It' a great car for a wind in the hair Sunday drive.

The 7 is a wonderful car for a long run, so comfortable & easy to drive. You kind of become part of it, & think it down the road, effortlessly. I came home from Bathurst recently in 12 hours, arrived feeling fresh, & got better than 7L/100Km economy. What modern , even with tons of electronics could do better.

I almost bought a Holden 327 HK Monaro a few years back, a bit of nostalgia. I drove one of them to a podium place for the Holden Dealer Team, at Bathurst in 68, & always had a yen for one. I wish I had now, they have gone up about $150,000 in price since then, but I could just not justify such a big thirsty car in my life.

I've been driving my Triumph for 9 years now, & can see no reason to change. We can just grow older together.
Posted by Hasbeen, Thursday, 15 July 2010 1:11:33 PM
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Examinator, so now the truth starts to come out. You've lost your goody goody image now.

You in a Roller, I'd like to see that.

I've always admired the XK150S Jag. A lovely thing, & great engineering in it's time. But when I think of them I can't help but hear the sound of petrol, pouring into a tank, at a great rate.

Stopped me every time I thought about one, even when I could have afforded the purchase price.
Posted by Hasbeen, Thursday, 15 July 2010 1:24:55 PM
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Trying to keep this simply on a material level non-human level I would have to include my vegie patch, chooks, two cats and some well worn books that take up most of our lounge.

As for cars - I am not a car person but have fond memories of my very first car, an old Mazda Capella which broke down more times than I can count, but after the odd tweak here and there served out my uni days well.

My hubby loves cars and owned an old Porsche 911S 1968 model when I first met him, which oddly was the only thing I did not like about him thinking he was materialistic but it was only first impressions. I always preferred to go out with him in his work car because people would not stare at us - it was embarrassing made me feel like a showoff. We ended up never driving it much and ever-practical sold it for a deposit for a house. He is still into cars being a Ford man and being a great watcher of Top Gear loves Aston Martins, Jaguar early series XK, Mustangs, Cobras and Lamborghini and Zondas. Next car he says is going to be a 2005 GT Falcon.
Posted by pelican, Thursday, 15 July 2010 1:43:09 PM
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All this rev-head talk takes me back... I've had more cars than I can remember over the years, but I've mostly hated them. Exceptions have been various VWs (including a wonderful old split-windscreen Kombi), a spiffy Humber Vogue that I wrote off while still in my teens, and a Triumph 2500 saloon. I had a really dumb sports car when I was 21 - it was one of those tiny little 600cc Honda coupes that the guy I bought it from had crammed a 1500cc Mazda motor into. It went really fast, but it handled like a dog and cops were always pulling me over just to have a look at it. I sold it to some other young idiot after I matured a little.

I have to say that by far the best car I've ever had is the one I have now. It's one of those late model dual cab 4WD diesel utes that city people love to hate - but it's absolutely perfect for what I do. It's brilliant off-road and for towing, is comfortable and great to drive on the highway, and has never let me down mechanically. Its only negative is that it's awful to drive in the city, but I do that so rarely it doesn't worry me. Mind you, I was in Brisbane a couple of weeks ago and I saw lots of them driving around the suburbs, invariably looking like the closest they'd been to the bush was their owner's front lawn.

It's a great car, but I have to say I don't actually 'love' it though.
Posted by CJ Morgan, Thursday, 15 July 2010 1:58:24 PM
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CJM... for those city trips you need a Humber Hawk, and I happen to know someone with one for sale, two tone, and very regal.

Also, if anyone is longing for the days of the old Doctor's Rover, another mate here has a Rover 90 he's keen to offload, in an almost BRG shade of green.

Both offer a sedate style of unhurried motoring, and with a hat on the head, no one would be expecting you to speed, or be annoyed when driving at below-the-speed-limit.
Posted by The Blue Cross, Thursday, 15 July 2010 2:31:17 PM
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Dear Examinator,

"It is a crime to write in rhyme
So many say that's true
But blessed with the curse of compulsive verse
What else can a rhymer do?"

Thanks for the compliment.
I do tend to write in rhyme more often
than not. I guess it's a left-over
from taking children's "Storytime"
sessions for so many years.

Plus, the fact that another "something"
that I love is writing. Mainly short stories.
I'm currently working on a short-story collection.
Posted by Foxy, Thursday, 15 July 2010 5:19:50 PM
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Hasbeen,
I've never claimed to being a goody goody, too many people can attest to the opposite.

All I ever wanted was a soft top "E" type untill I drove one. Sexy and then some but terrifying (for me) at speed.

XK120/150 were classics, but not good to drive with feet over size 6. Noisy and you feel every bump! both owned for a short period, too bloody expensive to fix.

I blew a fan belt in the XK120, impossible to fix when hot and without a lot of tools. 3 hrs waiting for it to cool down, sold it 3 weeks later.
Then because of my considered ways, another Jag club member helped me to acquire his 14mth old pristine Silver Roller.

What's more it only cost me about $1000 in today's money! And, I never paid reg, insurance or maintenance. Just petrol. I made a profit when he bought it back.

The joke was you couldn't drive it too far from Adelaide because the country petrol stations were too small. Not exactly cheap to run. Driving the Adelaide hills in the 70's in it was ....well interesting. Trust me, the novelty wore off quickly.

On the plus side, We are talking about the ultimate chick pick up wagon.
Rundle St, (main street of Adelaide) the girls waiting for late buses were subject to the Newcastle song drive by. Me, always well dressed, well spoken, ever ready to be helpful would stop and ask if the girls were okay and perhaps if going my way I might be able to give them a lift. Funny though, I always seem to live near them, where ever it was.

Bus stop destination signs helped.

All the other plebs with couldn't compete in their crowded, crappy rust buckets..

In those days the pick up lines were "what star sign are you?" and "what car do you drive?"....given I was a part time astrologer (true) at the time... interesting times! Heh heh (evil laugh again).

Paying for the subsequent dates *and* the petrol did pose a problem at times. Many lost opportunities. :-(
Posted by examinator, Thursday, 15 July 2010 5:55:55 PM
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There are many things to appreciate and enjoy, but there is nothing bought that I would ever treasure. In a way that is to be expected I guess, given the number of major moves I have had.

We always live with a host of new or at least different things, not unusual for a growing group of people many of whom work on contract I guess. The houses too are lived in for as long as is necessary, maybe leased for a while, then sold.

What I value most is the time shared with close relatives and friends and probably even more so when we were doing mundane things together. Then there are the memories of wild places, where there was no sign of another human, except for those close to me. The light of the phosphorescence behind the boat at night, the smells of bush and crisp powder snow underfoot, these are all treasured memories, but especially so where the people close to me were there to enjoy them too.

Maybe you have to live in one place for a long time to become attached to things, otherwise you move on.
Posted by Cornflower, Thursday, 15 July 2010 7:25:31 PM
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Ooow Foxy, you really are FOXY!!

A few loose screws in an old rocking chair, eh!

Now that’s something could learn to love!

(dreaming…… dreaming………. )

Rock-a-bye Ludwig

In the ol’ rocking chair

Dreaming of Foxy

With all that red hair…

.
(back to reality) Oh dear, suppose I’d better tighten them up before I sit in the damn thing (:>/
Posted by Ludwig, Friday, 16 July 2010 8:27:22 AM
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