How's your day?

[DJ360 6,306]

Most of the popular car types in the UK have actually got progressively bigger in recent years. 

Sadly, that hasn't stopped huge numbers buying Chelsea Tractors to effectively intimidate others and overfill parking spaces.

[Hey Arnold 66]

20 minutes ago, Ayupmeducks said:

You should see the prices of brand new pickups this side of the pond!!

With cars getting smaller, more and more people are buying full sized pickups, safer in accidents, as comfortable as expensive cars with the added feature of a cargo bed.

Some of todays cars I call sewing machines on wheels, no protection at all in a crash. When I first came to the states, tiny cars wouldn't sell, people wanted large comfy "Yank Tanks" Now you see little old ladies driving Dodge Ram trucks with 6L V8 engines, crew cabs with all the bells and whistles.

 

All new cars sold in Europe have to be submitted to the Euro New Car Assessment Programme where they are tested for child occupant, adult occupant, vulnerable road user (pedestrian-cyclist etc) and safety assistance performance. Vehicles are given a star rating from 0 - 5, the higher the better, so buyers are able to understand how much protection they have in the event of a crash. I know from my own experience that the design of vehicles has been changed mid way through projects when initial test results have come back from MIRA (Motor Industry Research Association) in Nuneaton 

Toyota design the structure of their cars, even the small rollerskate sized ones , as a high tensile steel cage in which the occupants sit to make them as safe as possible 

[Hey Arnold 66]

Additionally we can't afford to drive 6L V8 tanks with the price of petrol over here!

[Jill Sparrow 9,517]

5 hours ago, benjamin1945 said:

Cuban Heels due between 9 and 11......so i'll be strutting into Bulwell an inch taller....wonder if folk

ul recognise me?

Where were you, then?  I was in Bulwell market place at 10.15 this morning and I didn't see anyone in cuban heels!  Was going to have a quick tango with you before going to meet some friends for coffee and drop off half a ton of damsons.

 

Poor Bulwell! It's the first time for decades that I've had an opportunity to look at it closely. Most of it has been rebuilt since I knew it. Very few original buildings left. Made me feel quite sad.

[benjamin1945 15,354]

Oh Jill missed you again sorry.....but Cuban Heels never came....but to make up for it we'll 'Tango'' down the Bogs...when they do eventually arrive....

.............The wife turned up eventually said Mr Essex was great wearing his Waistcoat and some big boots...best song he performed was ''Hold me close''...

 

[Jill Sparrow 9,517]

It's a date, Ben!  I was looking for a crowd of adoring females with you at the centre of it. Don't know why but Bulwell seems much smaller than I remember it. Maybe it's me who's grown?

[Ayupmeducks 1,728]

@ Arnold...... Gas and diesel prices are high here too, remember the average American doesn't earn as much as the average Brit.

You usually don't drive as far as the average American too, public transport is poor to none existent.  My wife's office is over 30 miles away from home. When we lived in California it was over 50 miles to where she worked. So you need a comfortable vehicle to get to work and shopping etc.

I've driven many miles over here in a day, some as much as 650! Fatigue sets in very quickly in uncomfortable vehicles, but the last long drive was from California to here in Missouri, when we moved ourselves, and take it from me, my full sized pickup, a Chevy Silverado was a Godsend! I suffer from two back injuries, and neither played me up on those trips. Hit the interstate, get her up to the speed limit and set the cruise control. It was a 5.7l V8 and the best mileage I got out of it  was around 25mpg, not bad for a large engine.

It's going to take a lot to make me go smaller again, besides, I need the cargo bed to transport stuff home like firewood, building materials etc.

Pickups still have a solid chassis too, which give protection in front and rear end collisions, I also have a heavy duty front bumper/grill guard to reduce deer collision damage, my headlights cost $250 to replace, then that expensive radiator for the engine and transmission. Would probably make a mess of a sewing machine on wheels though...LOL

[Hey Arnold 66]

@Ayupmeducks I don't disagree with regards to the advantages pick ups have and the size of the models on the North American Market obviously reflect the size of the roads. Think about UK roads and you'll agree sewing machines have some advantages though!!

As an aside,  if you don't mind me being nosy, whereabouts in California did you live? I have a cousin in LA and my aunt lived in San Diego when she was alive

[Ayupmeducks 1,728]

Sacramento, then we moved to the foothills of the Sierras as they started building a school opposite our house.

Mt Aukum, was where we moved to at around 2400ft elevation with great views of thw valley below.

[nonnaB 4,750]

Mentioning fruit and likewise, when i took the dogs a walk this morning I noticed that the orchard just a little way from us had shed its fruit and its rotting on the ground. I dont know who it belongs to but i never see anyone there. There's a vineyard behind it and the vines are cared for but I suppose its like everything else " it brings more money in" I feel so sad that fruit is left like that especially when I could make something of them. I have slowly stopped preserving things as its very time consuming and damned hard work in the quantity that I used to do. Yesterday I used two large storage boxes to fill up with jars of all sizes that we've used or eaten the contents. This year I could have preserved a lot more fruit and veg but thats enough now we're still using what i did last year. 

[Jill Sparrow 9,517]

It is sad to see, nonna, but nature wastes nothing (unlike ourselves). The birds eat it. I always let some apples fall and lie on the ground. Hedgehogs like apples and will nibble them. Judging by the size of Tiny Pudding when I was watching last night, nature's larder is very full. Just like Tiny Pudding!

[IAN FINN 554]

The police caught the second stabbing suspect at 3.30pm local time just north of Saskatoon Saskatchewan while in police custody he went into cardiac arrest and died at about 8.00pm local time,i think everyone will sleep a little easier tonight.

[Hey Arnold 66]

On 9/7/2022 at 4:50 AM, Ayupmeducks said:

Sacramento, then we moved to the foothills of the Sierras as they started building a school opposite our house.

Mt Aukum, was where we moved to at around 2400ft elevation with great views of thw valley below.

 

The opposite end of the state then. I can Imagine it had great views looking at the terrain 

[Ayupmeducks 1,728]

Some peculiar views too. Whenever we had an inversion, cold air over the hot valley floor at night, it created a "mirror", so you saw car and road lights and their image above in reverse.

[Beekay 4,139]

Message to @Hey Arnold, as you see,the limeade pee has done the job. Gardeners are happy.

[Hey Arnold 66]

@BeekayFunnily enough it was only yesterday that I said to RF that I wondered how your grass was... Test cricket next 

[RadFordee 66]

@Beekayyou will have to get one those signs that they used to have on a lot of areas of the Castle and the Arboretum when i was a child

KEEP OFF THE GRASS .

[Beekay 4,139]

@RadFordee, one of my owd headteachers use to say that were negative. What you should say is "Thank you for not walking on the grass".  My reply was, " That's a load of Horlix ". That doesn't stop folks walking on grass when they shouldn't. It's the same with smoking. Thank you for not smoking doesn't mean no smoking.

He went on a psychology course. Came back a bigger idiot than he was before.

[RadFordee 66]

Did you get a clip round the earole for saying that to your headteacher bk? As would have been the norm back then for such insubordination.

[Beekay 4,139]

I wasn't a nipper, I'd worked for him for six years before he buggered off to Thailand.

[RadFordee 66]

Ah ok, one-nil to bk then.

[Beekay 4,139]

Have to keep you young whippersnappers in check ya know.

Can't have you taking liberties. 

[PeverilPeril 3,123]

Back from the remote Highlands today. Had a terrible journey - 5 hours in a tailback on the M6! Home at 02.30 today instead of 21.30 yesterday. Having no TV or phone connection we didn't learn about the Queen until visiting the pub, where they had connection. So, we raised our glasses to our beloved Queen in Her beloved Scotland.  

[MargieH 7,369]

Had a great afternoon at Ely Cathedral which is not far from us.  There was a very good brass band playing outside the huge west door of the Cathedral, along with a large group of some young air cadets who had obviously been practising very hard with their marching and drill.  At 4pm the Proclamation was loudly read out and we all sang the National Anthem (had to concentrate with the new words!)

The Palace Green outside the Cathedral was very crowded for the occasion but we were near the front. After this, many of us went into the Cathedral for choral Evensong - not really my cup of tea (We are members of a modern Baptist Church) - but, as a friend of mine often says: “don’t eat the whole pig and then choke on the tail”.  
I feel I’ve now said a proper goodbye to the late Queen and have internally accepted the new King.  Over the past couple of days I’d started to warm to him anyway and  I really wish him well.

[Jill Sparrow 9,517]

It's going to take a while to adjust. Every time I hear mention of King Charles, I see Charles I in my mind's eye. Must watch again the brilliant portrayal of same by Alec Guinness in the film, Cromwell. Wonderful acting, right down to the Scottish accent and slight stammer.