Oldddudders

Deb used to watch Jon Stewart's The Daily Show, in the days when it was broadcast daily as far as we were concerned, so the chap is familiar. Sherry and I perceive that educated and informed folk are by and large for staying. Whether there are enough of them may be the problem.

"Cor - someone's just flushed the loo!"

In The Groove - Rodney Franklin

You Do Something To Me - Ray Conniff

AWS was fitted in Jan 1960. Would the old crest still have been in use by then?

Dempsey is adored here. Even I've shaken his hand! I have a pic or two of him somewhere, I think.

Mal mentioned bikes, and of course Dave regularly treats us to pics taken on his cycle tours. Reminds me that Sir Chris Hoy drove at Le Mans this year, put in respectable times and his team finished, albeit a little way down the LMP2 list. I am informed that on September 11 the Beeb will broadcast a programme called 'From The Velodrome To Le Mans' recording his progress in his new career.

Morning all First of all kudos to Dave for having to deal with the most unpleasant of daily tasks. I had a much more trivial version of that in Deb's early recovery from the accident - and it takes real love to be doing it every day. Then belated congrats to Simon and more timely ones to Robert. Given our ages, I think Sherry and I will be pleased to get to double figures! But I suppose we had about 40 years each the first time around. Clearly we regard marriage as an honourable institution. I had posted some Le Mans stuff on the F1 thread, which several ER's make contributions to, but will give the briefest resumé here, too, as well as some later news. Toyota, often an LM bridesmaid, had it in the bag. So, less than 5 minutes from the end, their leading car, well ahead of the Porsche, set off on its penultimate lap - of 384. Sadly it suffered some sort of power failure, and collapsed completely just before the line, two minutes short of 24 hrs. Porsche thus won, effectively by default, of which they were in no doubt, commiserating with Toyota at senior level. Not for the first time, when it was clear (haha) that the race was won, I elected to skip off 20 minutes before the flag, thus ensuring we got home within the hour, rather than 3 hours, while listening to John Hindhaugh on Radio Le Mans. Thus we were some way down the road when the astonishing failure of the Toyota occurred, and I found a lay-by to sit and hear the final drama before we got too far thus allowing the local transmission to fade out. It pays to stay! The other last-hour drama involved the GTE Pro category, where a techincal infringement by the second-placed Ferrari led to it being required to pit, which it declined to do. Ford protested, whereupon Ferrari protested that the Ford car's specification was outwith the LM rules. A dreadful way to end a race, and I still not know the outcome. If the Ferrari is thrown out, Ford get all the podium positions, being first, third and fourth on the road. My Nissan is in for service today. It needs a new windscreen, new front tyres, so will not be a cheap event, even though I expect to get the windscreen reimbursed. I hope your week is on track.

Multiskilled.

'This area not planned yet' shouts Ewer Street to me. Rather hidden from view by the incline from Met Junction to Blackfriars Junction, it became Southwark Depot, a rather obscure EMU berthing point, but in steam days was a sort of Continental Depot, so perhaps the delivery point for some exotic fruits for Messrs Hartley?

"Lots of very hungry people up in London!" according to the Cornish broccoli grower in the delightful BT Films production 'Train Time'.

Rhythm of the Rain - Cascades

Morry Minors? For some reason friends referred to them as 'blowlamps'. I think I was taken to my first GP, Brands Hatch 1966, in one. It had a speedo that could best be described as non-linear. And today, driving into St Cosme en Vairais on our way back from Le Mans, I beheld one in my mirror. I couldn't decide whether the registration suffix was C or G, but it was the real thing, black, single screen, full of - presumably - British youngsters.

The Fire This Time (remix, feat. Angela Davis) - Patrick Andrade

Yes, but penicillin is generally effective in relieving the symptoms.

Morning all Completely unread in rather more than 24 hrs, but sitting in bed listening to Radio Le Mans Internet broadcast on Sherry's iPad, updating us on what is going on back at the circuit. We left about 20.30, after being there for 12 hrs, but hope to be back by about 10. A really interesting race, with an unprecedented start behind the Safety Car due to wet conditions, and the first 50 minutes conducted with no changes of place while the track dried out. As they start lap 259, things remain interesting. In recent years Audi has been the team to beat, but they are not quite up there this year, and it is Toyota who look good at the moment, with last year's winners Porsche slightly on the back foot. It is 50 years since Ford first won Le Mans and their new model in the GTE Pro category is doing very well, currently second and third in class. More from us anon.

I believe it was about tying up all the loose ends.....

Morning all Just a brief visit to commend Dave for counting to ten. Living in a pressure cooker really takes its toll, but as I've said before, you need a chance to vent your frustration, and even ERs may not be enough. I hope you have a non-virtual friend or relative to whom you can pour it all out, as that can be so cleansing, enabling you to function fully again. You are plumbing new depths of despair compared to anything some of us have suffered, and you need extraordinary resources to rise to the surface every time. And, dare I say, your own wellbeing is not to be ignored. The Jo Cox murder needs no observations from me, except a hope that the evidence proves it was a chance event in which she was an unintended victim. The nutters in society will always be with us, but democracy implies that we may each believe what we choose. Acting it out, as it were, will always be an offence. May your week wind up well.

Too true. The VEP was a high-density outer-suburban untit with doors to almost every compartment. The REP a main-line unit with few doors. Chalk and cheese.

Ballad of a Soldier - Vardi

Brown Ballad - Quincy Jones

Was that when Farmer Birrell was the manager?

Afternoon all Safely home from manic Paris. What with political marches by strikers and a zillion footie fans the city was even more heaving than usual. Road closures and a huge number of police everywhere, including convoys of vans and motorcycles, causing traffic to be at a crawl. In truth, Sherry was disappointed with her daughter, seeing her for the first time in 5 years, despite regular phone/text/email contact. Jacqui is clearly obsessed with her son, now 8 years old, very bright but almost certainly well up the spectrum, and all conversations over two lengthy meals seemed to gravitate back to him. He had all the mannerisms of a wonderfully spoilt brat. Husband Paul was good fun, though, but even he seems to feel the pinch, has little say, it seems, in their son's upbringing. I do not feel Sherry will be heading to Oz on a visit any time soon. But the most exciting thing happened as we awaited our train at Montparnasse. Suddenly security people were taping off part of the concourse towards the platform ends. All rather unrehearsed, police dogs in view, much rushing about. Then there was a loud bang, which I interpreted as a controlled explosion - probably vaporising someone's lost cut lunch. Event over. We caught the 1106 train. The next would have been 1806. They should be every two hours. The strike is still affecting services here and there.

The Beat Goes On - Sonny & Cher

Now drinking Chablis in a pavement cafe on the Champs Elysées, noshing a very superior Club Sandwich, and watching football fans of several nations. I have had worse lunches.