When the morning's infusion of caffeine / nicotine has fully bedded in I shall attempt to capture my beard on camera.

It's nice and bushy, I have been grooming it in advance of topiary later. The "Full Mexican / Fumanchu" is on the cards for winter...

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Hens teeth rocking horse poo Cossack Ph1.3

Well, you DID ask…
































































And, after a session with the strimmer…..






And that’s quite enough of me. I don’t want to reveal more and be drowned in a flood if poon. The beard drives them wild, you know.

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Hens teeth rocking horse poo Cossack Ph1.3

It used to be Astor in the old days...

But that's so 2009..

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Hens teeth rocking horse poo Cossack Ph1.3

I'm sure I'm not the only one relieved there's no Manstone.

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Membership expiring soon, get in contact on our new little forum project.

Been worrying about it, mate?

Ha, thought that night have been on your mind. Mine too. No sign of problems yet, but it needs sorting soon. Sorry about the protracted radio silence, I have not been here for some months, and upon my return spent quite some time absorbing the machinations and collective navel contemplation of our resident malcontents. I shall reserve my comments regarding these ripples in our pond for another time. A time when the keyboard isn't swelling & swaying in front of me like a jellyfish in a pool of benzodiazepine.

The engine is sweet. I love it. Still smooth, eager & urgent. Full of spunk (like my neighbour's old band's infamous album title). She's due for fluids & filters, but still sounds like twenty kittens washing their bottoms in a barrel full of honey on tickover. Sweet.

The issue I face now is as feared: Awesome engine powering a shell that starts to show it's age, and running gear that needs refreshment. Until the 2012 GTi budget is decided I am unable to commit fully to the required plan of action. It will be a month or two until I know whether there's no money, some money, or loads of money. Whichever outcome it may be, your advice & assistance will be hugely appreciated. I still cane it's derrière daily, perhaps it would be prudent for you to to spank the Cossack soon as a point of reference? I don't want Neil to because he will try to exceed 200mph, and she's only geared for 138. And he's mental.

BTW, your sedan is looking lush. The 309 style alloys are a lovely touch, superbly subtle. Only a Pug groover would get the reference, and that's nice. Maybe a N Devon mini-meet would be good soon? One of Neil's duo & our two would make a trio unmatched in its diversity. Obviously further additions to the lineup would enhance things even further, too. What do you think?

I shall try to re-enter the fray now that the roads are improving, and my annual bout of seasonal affective disorder is seeping away. I hope we can get oily soon.

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Hens teeth rocking horse poo Cossack Ph1.3

Photocopiers long gone now, along with the company involved.....

Holy thread resurrection, Batman!

It’s been a while. A long while.

Let’s start with the good news:
A completely refurbished (& as new) powder coated rear beam including brand new Pug shocks. Supplied & fitted with great skill by the man himself – Jord.

Look at this. Utter p0rn:





Witness the skillz. Buddha gave this man four limbs, and he makes use of them all during his work. I was humbled by his expertise, hugely impressed by the pride and care he took in his work, and most enamoured by his extremely fluffy pussy (hope pussy is alive & well).



The old disc protectors were rustier than the Titanic, and would have been criminal attached to this beam. But hey sesame - Jord had a pair of brand new Pug items still in their bags. Hey – let’s spend, spend, and spend some more!
Observe the freshness:



Following all this effort I thought it best to spend even more money. Front suspension already good, rear now faultless – what to do?
The bleedin’ obvious: sticky rubber. At considerable expense a set of four new Yokohama Advan Neova AD08s went on. Crikey. I expected some improvement in traction, response & cornering tenacity, but these boots blew me away. I hate acronyms but OMG, WTF & similar are appropriate in this case. The misnomer that is fuel economy became comical by this stage – down here super unleaded had topped £1.50 a litre and with the Yokos on it was utter joyful madness to use the 6 to commute. But that’s what I did, it’s just how I roll (see what I did there?).

The fronts lasted 3000 miles. I live in the anus of Nowhere located deep in the province of Twistyland, so they got leathered. 3500 Miles of pure joy. A high point in my ownership of the 6.

Observe the sexiness of good rubber, and the lack of unwanted camber a TOP quality beam gives you:



By this time we had moved from the edge of somewhere tiny to the aforementioned anus, taking on a nice detached property with lovely gardens, apple trees etc. The bucolic dream. The financial millstone, but complete with sheds to die for and space for the offspring to enjoy a 1970s style childhood (as far as that’s possible these days with these darned internet things etc.).

Did someone mention bad news? I think they did.

A friend & I travelled oop north to the Lakes in late November 2013, in order to spend a long weekend with a group of companions, magnificent cheeses, fine wines, and heroic ascent of mountains. It’s an annual ritual; wives / girlfriends / children are prohibited because they inhibit the general manliness and danger of the adventure. As we cruised gently up the M6 the weather got nasty. Real nasty, like an armed hillbilly on acid with a terrible case of piles, and poor eyesight. The “rain” hammered from the North with such violence it penetrated the scuttle and even ended up inside the speedo binnacle. Warning lights illuminated. I stopped to check vital fluids. We were still running sweetly, and had to keep going before the best cheeses were eaten the awaiting group.

The storm had, however, caused some unseen damage. My motoring in the 6 had always been on open roads, at speeds where the rad was never starved of lovely fresh air. Christmas Eve 2013 – I am forced to travel to a nearby town to do Xmas shopping. The traffic is heavy – really heavy, and primarily motionless. Engine temperature rises. And rises. And rises some more. Unseen damage: rad fan dead. Need I explain more?

The car soldiered on for a week or two, with massive coolant pressurisation and eventually clouds of steam pouring out of my shiny Scorpion. Starting reluctance & poor running. We all know what this means. I got the car home on the drive. Very slight mayonnaise developing. Coolant levels dropping rapidly. Oh, the woe. Head gasket woe. Particularly frustrating when you’ve just fitted four new Goodyear winter tyres, and have covered less than 500 miles on them.
I love cars. They just don’t love me back.

So there she sat, and has done so for 16 months. I’ve kept the car reasonably clean & ventilated, pushed back & forth occasionally, depressed pedals & pulled the handbrake up & down to minimise seizures. The plan: another resurrection, to take place in shed C (the one with “Maison du Peugeot” written on the front). That plan has been met with hostility by spouse.

Last year I purchased the most soul-destroying cheapo runabout I could find locally, but that turned into a disaster & awaits resolution with the seller. It’s sorned in the carpark where I work. A Peugeot 206 1.4GLX in three slightly different shades of blue (very poorly applied) paintwork, which missed its first MOT in my ownership by three sheets of fail. A ghastly, horrible mistake where I can do little other than minimise my losses.

So I thought, what next?

Answer: buy something silly, very cheap, mid-life crisis appropriate, and not a Peugeot. Here it is: Bjorn parked beside poor, crippled Serge.



The fate of the GTi6 – she’ll probably have to go. I’ve met a nice local chap with the skill, kit and a genuine appreciation of why I’ve kept the GTi for so long. He & I may have another conversation soon, and it may then transpire that I won’t have to park the rag-top under a tree anymore.

We shall see.

But I think this concludes my final chapter.

It’s been a good ride. My best wishes to you all.

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Hens teeth rocking horse poo Cossack Ph1.3