few days ago I replied to a tweet, saying that my local Timpsons guy was a legend, uber helpful beyond his job remit, always cheery & up for a chat with customers. We often talk F1 & Alfa Romeo (he has a 147 that needs work, is SORN no MOT). Yesterday he called me over to him 1/n
other great employees have had similar, trips to see family in Australia etc. So, thank you
@JamesTCobbler
for making David's day, week, year. He is blown away, cannot stop smiling. You Sir, are a great example of an employer.
#Timpsons
4/4.
with a generous gift. David will now be getting his 147 fully restored by an Alfa specialist (David asked me to recommend one, I did). He is over the moon with gratefulness from Timpsons. Apparently this is not unusual from them 3/n
as a footnote, yesterday I asked David about getting trousers altered for a funeral. As usual he goes out of his way. Takes my mobile number, tells me the lady that does the alterations will have done for the day but will message her anyway & he'll get back to me ASAP. Superstar.
big smile on his face. I'd previously told him that James Timpson had dm'd me so say a brief "great to hear". So, David my Timpsons guy has had a call from HQ, on behalf of James Timpson they wanted to thank David 2/n
@MattTakeTwo
he's a humble guy, enjoys his job, does it well & will not mislead over costs, times etc. Just a damn good person. I've never seen him look grumpy (concession is in local tesco so i pass it often).
So, you tax & insure your car, its a cheap 2nd hand one because its all you can afford to get to & from work & run family around. You need to go shopping in Bath, support local businesses in process. Yet you get charged more than the person who can afford a more expensive car?
Can confirm that Bathโs new emissions based parking charges are easy to use and seem to work as planned: you just put your numberplate into the machine and it calculates it for you.
@SaskiaHeijltjes
The price of diesel in France rises to ยฃ1.32/litre, a 120000 people of all ages & sexes have protested at the government in the streets at 2000 locations. That's the same price roughly as UK, where we sit with apathy & do nothing. Fair play to the French, we should do the same.
Mega proud of nephew. Wanted new car, he worked usual job apprentice electrician, plus Saturdays at supermarket on top of college, saved like hell, bought himself outright this very tidy 2016 1-series BMW. Not even 19 yet..
@BMW
You. Make. Ugly. Cars.
Thatโs the reason.
You didnโt always do this, up until very recently you made nice cars, before that you made beautiful cars.
You could again, if you tried.
Regards, Gen X
The heart touching story behind this Jag, seen at North Weald Airfield meet this morning. The owner I actually know sort of, via the chatting to him at snack van at work & unexpectedly bumped in to him at snack van at the meet. Anyway I digress.. 1/n
Iโm always in admiration at halfords commitment to their principle of one person serving regardless of how long the queue is at the till. Should another accidentally arrive they soon realise their error & scurry off โto get stockโ only to be seen again an hour later.
Guess whoโs just put ยฃ30 of petrol in his diesel car. In my defence itโs only second time Iโve put fuel in it since Iโve had it. Luckily I realised before I started it. Should be covered in breakdown policy.
Yes, Iโm a twat.
So. The 166 is mine! It runs, everything electronically works. Brakes sticky, suspect seized handbrake cables too. Big thanks to
@LUDENClassics
for sorting the recovery to Essex, Darren the recovery guy a top bloke, great service.
#AlfaRomeo
RIP Alfa GT. Colleagues pickup handbrake failed & rolled in to it. Admitted liability but age & damage location means itโs a write off. Beyond gutted.
Iโm in queue for booster walk in..
big bloke resembling stereotype nightclub bouncer 5 metres away says says loudly โwhose wearing aftershave ?โ
I reply itโs me.
โYeah mate that smells goodโ
Iโve pulled I reckon..not my target demographic but these are tough times.
@hannahrosewoods
This is true. Similarly, the 'bearskin' hats of the Queen's Guard are custom made for each soldier to ensure the total height is the same, allowing them to dust under the many arches of Buckingham Palace as they leave & enter the front of the palace during Changing of The Guard.
When you forget youโve entered a work raffle then win... a full day at Palmer Motorsport driving during day.: Formula 3000 single-seater, BMW M4 GTP, Clio Cup Racer, Ariel Atom, Palmer JP-LM race car & Landrover off roading. ยฃ10 ticket money well spent.
Struggling to wake at 06.30 on a Sunday?
Worried youโre having too much sleep?
Then you need a Cat-O-Matic Alarm Clockยฉ. Simply install & this fun device ensures you never miss dawn again!
No batteries required, just feed , attend to its every demand & Cat-O-Matic does the rest.
Spotted at Battlesbridge, I present this beauty, the Citroen XM โOnyxโ. When the French were still contradicting the world of car making. Itโs fecking awesome.
Waitrose Southend on Sea this Morning, the Puma caught my eye but then.. a 155! With appropriate era red lacquer peel (they all do that sir).
#AlfaRomeo
For reasons, just reasons I found myself needing to watch Cliff Richardโs Wired for Sound video. Aside of the brilliant cheesiness, car Twitter, whatโs he driving? Iโm thinking Merc.
From office window Iโve just seen a parked up truck driver eat a whole Tesco hot roast chicken & a whole French stick, in 10 mins. He then drank the chicken fat from the bag. Donโt whether to admire that or throw up.
Had an idea, so bear with me on this one; Dozing Lounges.
Side rooms in pubs, for when you're 3 pints in & the tired hits you on a Friday night after a week at work, but you don't want to go home. Collect token, 45 mins in a comfy chair to get 2nd wind, then back to join mates.
#visa
down. World largest cashless payment system, an inconvenience at worst. Now, imagine it's 2030, your electric, driverless car fails, no warning, just stops, for hours..as you join the speeding traffic on an m'way. If Visa can drop out, don't think autonomous vehicles won't.
Hey
@FifthGearTV
,when you can't spell the name of one of the world's oldest car brands correctly on your FB promotion, what level of journalism & presentation can we expect from the new series? Looking forward to your Porsh, Mirsaydis & Voxaul pieces too.
#BackToSchool
So. Better than hoped, was told throttle potentiometer was broke, I tried ecu reset, got it working, so it now does move, big bonus. The V6 runs well, thermostat perfect. Needs a good long clean, engine bay too. Been sat over a year. Interior is almost mint. 69k miles.
#alfaromeo
Came out of car wash, there was a yoof in fuel station with MX5 mk2, aged about 19. Nice lad, had a good chat, loves his car. His daily is Audi S1 but he prefers driving his 1998 MX5. Old cars rock. Then he did a fist bump as we left so now i'm down wiv da kids innit.
#MX5Fwends
So, things didn't go as planned, more to his illness than just bad tooth/abscess, he'd got worse last couple of days. White blood cell count 1/5 of what it should've been, vet said he can't guarantee a diagnosis or solution. Not feline leukemia.
RIP Busso my little mate.
A strange 5 days. Sunday morning, no intention of selling MX5, Monday night it was sold. Was geared up to view & prob buy something very different,by Thursday morning it was all change again. So, this is now back in my ownership with lots of work done, drives like new.
#AlfaRomeo
Right Iโm just going to say this out loud. Rick Astley was great at Glastonbury & great tonight. Pro performer, can have a laugh, been around & knows the tricks. Ideal for the moment, unlike hootenanny which I usually watch.
Just heard great tale on
@BBC6Music
Motorhead were doing sound check for gig. Resident 4miles away complained about noise. Lemmy paid for the whole street to have a coach trip to Blackpool on day of the gig. Brilliant.
Mouse update: I put vac outside, mouse ran free, huzzah! Cat saw mouse running free, caught mouse, ran inside & dropped it under bed, where it promptly ran under chest of drawers. We are back to square fecking one. Considering keeping the mouse & losing the cat, itโll be easier.
Local weekly car show.. popped by to avoid another night in. This caught my eye. Original paint, marina 1300cc engine. I think the halo lights looked ok tbh
Gratuitous pic of the GT in todayโs sun, as Iโve mentioned the 166 a bit but not my baby for a while. 15yrs old, owned almost 10yrs. Still look back at it every time.
#AlfaRomeo
Update on gt. Dents pulled out by spot welded wires, layer of good filler. Much more work still to go. Window & interior removed as welded My was fire risk. Should be ready end of next week.
#AlfaRomeo
Dear
@BMW
This is how you should style your cars, note the lines, grille with hints of intent & purpose. Not your current line up of zero subtlety & BBQ grill grilles.
20yr Old MX5 headlight bulb changed in 10mins, no tools required. Car manufacturers, take note, this is how it should be still, not the dexterity of a chimp and several tools.
Frankโs Sandwich Bar. No nonsense breakfasts. Hot drinks? Sure. Tea, hot chocolate & coffee. Thatโs it. You want coffee? White or black, take your pick. No latte, pumpkin spice shizzle nonsense. How it should be. This place has been around decades. May it never change.
As Feb 14th nears, I fondly recall Valentineโs Day last year. Reunited with a loved one after months apart. I can still remember smiling as I looked out of the window of the coffee shop where Iโd paused to take it all in.
Yes, the day I bought the GT back.
#AlfaRomeo
My mate today parked on a tidal road. He didnโt know it was a tidal road. Donโt park on a tidal road if you donโt know itโs a tidal road. Tidal road parking advice there.
GT passed MOT, straight through no advisories..
itโs that dodgy Alfa reliability ๐
15 years old. 115000 miles just as I pulled in testing station.
#Alfaromeo
Went to a new to me car breakfast meet, Little Easton Manor. Described as Classic & Interesting Cars, it didnโt disappoint. Lovely location, low key no wrapped lambos or idiots revving. Busy but cool, locals out for dog walks & coffee came along too. Some picsโฆ
The Alfa GT passed the MOT, straight through, no advisories. 12yrs old, only prep was to top up screen wash. Yeah, that damn
#AlfaRomeo
unreliability eh?
#MythBusting
Popped to Tesco for milk. Came out with coffee percualator, George Forman grill, duvet, jumper, eyes tested & a date to collect new glasses. We've all done it haven't we? Haven't we?
Forgot milk though.
I'm sat on the sofa. The cat walks up to me, stands on his hind legs so his face is 2 inches from mine, then sneezes on my face & calmly walks off.
Cats are bastards aren't they.
Up at 5, now with cuppa, to get ready for
#FestivalItalia
at Brands Hatch, just 35 mins away. Why? Because I entered the GT in display section. Put new gaffa tape on split leather seat for the occasion. Not a show pony, a hardworking Alfa.
#AlfaRomeo
North Weald Airfield classic car & bike meet, simple pleasures of a cuppa & bacon sarnie. Every Sunday, no fuss, no โsceneโ, no twat-wrapped supercars. Proper old school loved cars. Job done.
#ClassicCar
#Fiat
#alfaRomeo
#essex
#lancia
#sundayvibes
List I made last night for Brands Hatch today.
1. Don't buy anything from shop. (Buys cap, tshirt, circuit car sticker)
2. Don't forget camera SD card (forgets SD card)
3. Take food as Circuit food is mega bucks & crap. (Forgets food & spends fortune on crap food).
You want Italian quirky but you also want yank muscle. You want fwd but want V8? I present the Cadillac Allante. Designed & Built in Italy for the USA.
One for
@thealso
maybe..
#V8
#usa
#italy
#Cadillac
#classiccar
Today would've been the old man's 75th, he could charm & annoy equally, traveled, fought, loved, lived a full life, told the best tales & left broken hearts wherever he went. Cheers Dad๐
Ok thereโs more to this โaccidentโ come to light. The pickup is auto, it wouldโve been in Park, handbrake or not, that ainโt rolling anywhere. Itโs company car, my director is saying they should buy me a new car or repair sod expense. Will keep you updated..
Monday the GT goes in for body repair, estimate is ยฃ800-1k. Director (who I bought it from) says โas sister firm are paying (their guy hit it), I can go to ยฃ1500 & heโll make sure they pay, so go for itโ. Iโm now making a note of every blemish acquired over 15yrs.
#AlfaRomeo
@JasonManford
One of you drove to pub to enjoy a refreshing alcoholic beverage & left car. One of you ran to pub in the morning to collect others car.
Your wife is a shrewd player of the game.
Nipped out for a Boxing Day classic car meet at nice little pub, lots of people with their dogs, a lady with her ferret on a lead & generally full of bonhomie & Brussels Sprouts.