MonzaPhil
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Glad you've got madam home ok George. Best of luck with phase 2 of top secret stealthy plan of planningness
Never a dull moment eh!?
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MonzaPhil
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It's all like new....
That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Except a bit up the N/S A pillar, a bit on the sill, a bit in the bulkhead, some on the floor and a bit at the back.... and some at the front. Possibly a bit underneath.
5 minute job.
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MonzaPhil
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Shhhhhh.
It's fine.
Like new.
No one else has noticed.
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MonzaPhil
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Ja.
Mein Luftkissenfahrzeug ist voller Aale.
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MonzaPhil
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Picture time! Here's a big bit. These are important: This bit needs finishing a bit. Much stuff. Chairs folks. Arch. This is a nice Brucie bonus Sent from my floor using proboards
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MonzaPhil
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14 years off the road..... Just need to make a space for it.
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MonzaPhil
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Nearly. . .
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MonzaPhil
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I'm back! (currently at work but after hours)
Hitting the road for the last leg south, in the dark, with an electrically delicate Land Rover and a revised ETA of 21:30 or 22:00 ish.
It did occur to me that along with not having keys to the yard as they were at home, I also had to drop the car off single-handed. Meh, why worry.
When I go to Ians, or indeed leave, I ALWAYS go the wrong way near Buckingham. Today was no exception. Common sense said follow the traffic but some latent brain-fart said go thataway.
The roads get narrow......
After surviving all that nonsense, I got back on track although didn't recognize any of where I was. No matter.
Then the traffic and accidents started.
Eventually arriving home at 23:00ish, I popped in to get my keys and found my wife to be slightly cross (as mentioned before). Then it was a quick zoom dow the road, unload (thanks to tilt bed trailers and winches) and another zoom to return the trailer to the hire company. Home for midnight.
Mission accomplished!
So, What have I done?
I've bought the only Senator A2 (approximately) Estate in the UK. It hjas a low mileage 3.0 12V fitted, some sort of auto (no complaining please), hopefully an LSD as it's Monza GSE running gear, lots of bits including a pair of doorcards that will fit my white GSE and that I've been after for AGES! A spare pair of rear doors to replace the slightly crusty ones fitted, spare windscreen and assorted stuff. Amazing, chuffed to bits, looking forward to the day I can drive it.
Oh, and the seats are nice. Very nice. Recaros up front and all trimmed with cow.
I've got it on the ramp now and while there is welding and stuff to do, it should* be at The Gathering next year.
Pics to follow.
*not if my wife kills me or it's not finished. I reserve the right to come in a different vehicle.
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MonzaPhil
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I still find this place the best on a whole Internet. Having lost sensible computer use and confined to a phone that doesn't always play, it can be a bit more difficult to scan through the threads and pick out the interesting ones.
I love the variety here and it's so difficult to narrow down the omnomnomnominations, especially when you read the other ones and a reminded about what you've forgotten.
While I'm here I'll apologise for being really antisocial at The Gathering. No good at talking to people, definitely no good at talking to new people even if I know you off The Facebook or some such. Sorry .
The mad dash to get nominations done in time catches me out every time.
I have my hands full too. Internet time or car production time.... plus hiding from the wife or hiding cars from the wife. It's time consuming.
Higher voting turnout .... no idea. Everyone who participates should tell everyone they know to get involved. The lure of awards should be incentive enough.
Lost my train of thought now as wifey just phoned to say she was lost.....
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MonzaPhil
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Commencing operation "what have I done!?"
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MonzaPhil
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Ian dealt with the warden and I didn't need to dig a hole or find a roll of carpet or anything!
We left.
Southbound.
I had left my glasses at Ians house. Not good although I do only need them for seeing so no big deal.
Did a bit of driving, did a bit of snoozing, did a lot of parking in traffic, did a lot of waiting at accidents, did some stopping in motorway services including a BK meal, my first fast food in so long I can't actually remember the previous one.
Every road we travelled on was awful, absolutely awful. As it got dark, it became apparent that headlights would be nice. It was about now that the Discovery came over all Land Rovery. The headlights worked, the sidelights worked but the full beam would gradually and sneakily come on. After removing the fuses for the full beams we continued remembering that when trying to see more or flash other road users, things would suddenly get much darker.
As we neared Ians, we were on the A5 (I think) doing a reasonable speed and we hit a puddle (lake). Now, panic and shouting for dramatic situations is normal so when one is slewing across the road and the driver is letting the steering wheel go while your life flashes before you and he simply says "well, this should sort itself out", or words to that effect, is not fun. Lack of swearing in emergency situations causes me great concern.
Anyway, the Discovery/trailer/squashy human passengers gathered themselves up and after a brief foray onto the opposite carriageway, managed to settle down on the correct side of things.
After anticipating being back in MK for about 15:00 or 16:00hrs, we finally rolled in at gone 18:00hrs.
Retrieve spectacles, drink tea, say goodbye, hit the road.
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MonzaPhil
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Please note, the Discovery clearly hasn't failed to proceed at any time.
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MonzaPhil
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Operation "keep wife still married to me" is well under way. As penance, I'm having to do DIY stuff and things and be good and promise to not buy any more cars, certainly not another Monza which I may or may not have already bought or the Manta A that is about 100 yards away and has been In a garage for nearly 2 decades but I wouldn't know anything about that or another Senator or anything.
Moving on.
We headed along into Scarborough, parking near the seafront. Went to get a ticket but the machine was presumably full of sideways freezing rain and wouldn't play. No probs and Ian said if we got a ticket he'd bail us out.
Of we went through the sideways freezing rain to find a rock selling emporium (stick of rock not that other kind).
Emporium found, we collected many specimens and left.
*walk, walk, walk*
*walk*
*walk faster*
*run a bit*
TRAFFIC WARDEN IN CLOSING STAGES OF RUINING ROCK ACQUISITION OPERATION!
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MonzaPhil
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This finds us at about 11:00HRS
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MonzaPhil
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Ooops, wrong amusing anecdote. Back on course. Sunday morning, Milton Keynes, early.... very early. After some wrestling with an alarm and an airbed I sprang into action. Ian and his offspring Nathan got themselves organised and we jumped in his car, headed off to pick up the Disco and trailer combination effort. Child seat swapped over, snacks and supplies loaded and the latest copy of Eye-Spy Rules to hand we set off. Early. Ian was doing driving to ease my burden as I had to get back before I turned into a pumpkin and could catch up on some snoozing. Then it happened. The first bit of the journey was fine really but then, because Roadkill, it was a case of roadworks, accidents, motorway closed etc etc. After negotiating these minor inconveniences, we were trundling along quite happily when we saw a sign. "Caravans Prohibited" Now, I didn't have my highway code with me but I don't remember seeing that one in there, anyway, a car trailer isn't a caravan so no biggie. *trundle, trundle* "Strictly really NO CARAVANS" *trundle* I was happy looking at the scenery which was looking "cliffy" *trundle* Next, and this was another new one to me... "74 road blockages by HGVs in the last year" Wow, these HGV drivers must be silly. Subsequent to this, we discovered a pretty decent near vertical climb including hairpin corners and gaining what seemed like 3000 feet in about half a mile. The return journey with the extra weight WOULD NOT be this way...... Much hilarity took place and we didn't have to get down as far as first gear. Anyway. shortly after, we arrived. On cue, the wind picked up to 90mph and the freezing cold rain of doom started. If you've ever picked up a door from a Monza or Senator, you'll know they are fairly weighty. Then try putting two on the roof of a Land Rover...... in adverse weather. For your troubles, have a picture. Now I know, you're thinking "who would travel a kabillion miles to collect a car that isn't even all the same colour and doesn't even drive" (Might just be MonzaNikki thinking (quite vocally) exactly that). Loaded up and ready to roll, all we had to do was head into Scarborough to buy Nathan a stick of rock (we'd promised and didn't want to be totally uncool) then simply drive home.........
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MonzaPhil
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Cheers dude.
Where was I....
Sri Lanka, formerly Ceylon, at about 3 o'clock in the morning, looking for one thousand brown M&Ms to fill a brandy glass, or Ozzy wouldn't go on stage that night. So, Jeff Beck pops his head 'round the door, and mentions there's a little sweet shop on the edge of town. So - we go. And - it's closed. So there's me, and Keith Moon, and David Crosby, breaking into that little sweet shop.
Well, instead of a guard dog, they've got this bloody great big Bengal tiger. I managed to take out the tiger with a can of mace, but the shopowner and his son... that's a different story altogether. I had to beat them to death with their own shoes. Nasty business, really.
But, sure enough, I got the M&Ms, and Ozzy went on stage and did a great show.
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MonzaPhil
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Thanks once again to Ambrow Trailers in Christchurch for a painless hiring experience. Saturday morning, 09:00. I'm MonzaPhil and this is going to be the longest 24 hours (or so) of my life. I may have to resort to actual drawing then take pictures and host them on Photorustbucket then put them on here.... Trailer acquired and the whole outfit parked in as inconvenient a manner as I could muster in the doctors surgery car park next door, I went off on my next mission. Lunch. Sausage rolls for the butcher/deli thing a couple of doors down. At 12:30 I departed. A31, M27, M3, A34 then that other bit that I always get lost on. I want to go one way, the navigation wants me to go another way, common sense tells me to ignore it, we fight, it wins, I end up in some sort of tiny lane that seems to be getting narrower and narrower and probably ends in a point..... you get the idea. No such trouble this time, a nice fast journey, towing well, good trailer, well behaved truck. Truck and trailer safely stored it was time for some tea, food, Christmas lights.... Ta Daaaaa and an early night.
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MonzaPhil
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A date for collection was arranged (after a while).
I booked a car trailer, dragged the Discovery out of its resting hedge and roped in some help from my friend Ian and his lad.
The plan was as follows.
I fetch the trailer Saturday morning, stash it for a few hours, have lunch with wifey then hit the road, a simple trip up from The New Forest along the A34 to MK, I arrive, we eat, we talk cars, we sleep, we leave first thing on Sunday for the final leg up to Scarborough. We come back, depositing Ian and offspring, getting a cuppa then hit the road again, miss the traffic and bish bash bosh and I'm back in The Winchester for a pint (since it's all blown over) by dinnertime.
The first part of this plan went absolutely faultlessly. Grade A no problemo.
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MonzaPhil
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BAD NEWS!
Something I hadn't considered and a minor gripe compared to many things that people are battling with. Last year I was having a major battle with a suspension bush on a really shonky Series 3 Land Rover. This necessitated a bit of hammering and in the process I acquired tennis elbow. Fnar fnar I hear you say, surely this is irrelevant.
Sadly not. I have just spent the better part of an hour trying to turn out a single MS Paint picture and I simply cannot do it. I'll try some single malt assistance but in the meantime I shall update you with textual happenings and you'll have to play the background music from 24 to get the idea.
Are you sitting comfortably?
Then I shall begin.
Much, much earlier this year I added someone to my Bookface collection as he had a Monza and you need to mix in these circles. He said he had something that might be of interest to me. Obviously I need another car and because every year I have a birthday it seemed to be a good idea to treat myself.
Slight hitch in as much as the car was a long way away (I know) and I usually insist on staying within the cattle grids as I don't like travelling or people. A plan with no drawbacks. I got some pictures and a description and *eventually* arranged to go and collect a car.
*I tried so hard to get someone else to go *not hard enough *this all started in January.... *I got married in the first quarter of this year. APRIL, it was April. The 20something..... Anyhoo.
I love buying cars blind.
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MonzaPhil
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Well that must be (generally speaking) a great relief.
All the best for a swift continuing recovery.
Mental note * don't get shot in the face by anything for any reason *
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