Thursday, January 12, 2006
Love my car?
It isn't every day you get to be inspirational. How and ever, following my journalistic exploits
a friend of ours was inspired to write to those lovely chaps at the Observer and tell them just how great his first car was. Sadly, because he didn't own it anymore (I wonder where it is now?) they told him he was ineligible for the column. In order to appease his shattered confidence(!) and to repay him for fixing the radio connection on our car I've taken it upon myself to publish him in his rightful (write-ful?) place. Thanks Tim!
ps - if it's any consolation, I reckon it's brilliant.
It isn't every day you get to be inspirational. How and ever, following my journalistic exploits
a friend of ours was inspired to write to those lovely chaps at the Observer and tell them just how great his first car was. Sadly, because he didn't own it anymore (I wonder where it is now?) they told him he was ineligible for the column. In order to appease his shattered confidence(!) and to repay him for fixing the radio connection on our car I've taken it upon myself to publish him in his rightful (write-ful?) place. Thanks Tim!
ps - if it's any consolation, I reckon it's brilliant.
Can we go back to 1977, when I was 18 and got my 1965 powder blue Triumph Herald 12/50 with walnut dash.
Previously belonging to my uncle, who had confidently travelled in it far and wide before it was then passed on to his son to use for a long distance courtship with his girlfriend in Dumfries until they married and left the UK for the USA.
A little tweaking and TLC from me, after nearly 2 years in a damp garage where it had resided since my cousin’s departure, without even having the engine turned over now and again, this little beauty passed its MOT first time.
Not quite the “boy racer” vehicle of today, but a character nonetheless and with the tape player, I proudly fitted myself, blasting out it still became the unofficial transport for some members of “Bricknell AFC”.
Late, packed in like sardines and some still smelling of last night’s beer, we would pour onto the field from the Herald to play our hearts out for 90 minutes and then climb back in, muddied and bloodied, for the return journey. Conversation would be the usual post match analysis both harsh and complimentary but the car was always filled with good humour.
Some months later it became the means of impressing a girlfriend with my romantic side by rolling back the canvas sunroof to look at the stars as we listened to Neil Diamond. She wasn’t quite so impressed when several dates later that same sunroof allowed rainwater to permeate through causing a constant drip of water down the back of her neck!
Even with our ardour temporarily dampened, my girlfriend still became my wife, had this feel good car worked its magic on her too?
Previously belonging to my uncle, who had confidently travelled in it far and wide before it was then passed on to his son to use for a long distance courtship with his girlfriend in Dumfries until they married and left the UK for the USA.
A little tweaking and TLC from me, after nearly 2 years in a damp garage where it had resided since my cousin’s departure, without even having the engine turned over now and again, this little beauty passed its MOT first time.
Not quite the “boy racer” vehicle of today, but a character nonetheless and with the tape player, I proudly fitted myself, blasting out it still became the unofficial transport for some members of “Bricknell AFC”.
Late, packed in like sardines and some still smelling of last night’s beer, we would pour onto the field from the Herald to play our hearts out for 90 minutes and then climb back in, muddied and bloodied, for the return journey. Conversation would be the usual post match analysis both harsh and complimentary but the car was always filled with good humour.
Some months later it became the means of impressing a girlfriend with my romantic side by rolling back the canvas sunroof to look at the stars as we listened to Neil Diamond. She wasn’t quite so impressed when several dates later that same sunroof allowed rainwater to permeate through causing a constant drip of water down the back of her neck!
Even with our ardour temporarily dampened, my girlfriend still became my wife, had this feel good car worked its magic on her too?
