Posts by Sam F
Last ←Newer Page 1 2 3 4 5 Older→ First
-
One last bit of (vicarious) automotive nostalgia: a friend of mine learnt to drive in one of these.
No power steering, no power steering, no syncromesh and 5 tonnes. Ouch!
-
'this time round you're a little bit looser/all you really needed was the right producer'
I read this and thought of David Garrett. Sad but true.
-
It had a car radio!
Haha, I remember when we got the abovementioned Civic I was stoked that we finally had a car with a radio. Even if it was only two FM presets.
-
industrial-strength cool
To which my dad can attest - during his time at Auckland City Council (late 1970s/early 1980s) he accidentally ran a superior's borrowed Austin into the back of a Citroen DS. The Austin was totalled, but the Citroen's curvy rear was largely undamaged.
Citroen DS - it's the hardest material known to man.
-
The oldest vehicle I've ever driven was a 1969 Beetle - precisely once, on a test drive around Te Atatu - so I can't claim any experience in that regard. Instead I'll tip my metaphorical hat respectfully towards my grandparents' Morris Isis, six-cylinder British road demon that it was.
Our family's classic open-road weapon was a 1982 Honda Civic wagon, with vinyl seats that could burn the hairs off your legs on a hot day and frankly terrifying highway handling. Once you'd wrung the neck of its tiny little motor to get the big box up the hill, you'd be wrestling it all the way back down.
When the clutch finally gave out in 2003 we discovered that the entire roof had rusted out, which explained the loud metallic 'whump whump whump' we encountered at motorway speeds.
Just like Kerry's Citroen, that Civic saw a helluva lot and has become the source of many a family legend.
-
Stephen Fry is in Wellington filming a TV series following up on Douglas Adams' book and series' Last chance to see' of 20 years ago. (It's about endangered species). Fry is here to look at wetas (lucky him) and kakapo.
Oh, ace . I read Last Chance to See a little while ago and wondered if an update might be due.
Here's hoping that NZ gets the series free-to-air before the end of this decade.
-
Here's to a happy 2009 for all, with a minimum of computer meltdowns or persistent nosebleeds.
I spent Friday at Mahurangi, which considering its proximity to Auckland is just indescribably good - felt like a proper holiday rather than a daytrip. Hopefully will be there again on Sunday, weather permitting.
For now I'm planning the next few days' writing activities, trying to man up for a huge pile of ironing, and experimenting with (extremely basic) homemade rain collectors for our balcony. Yes, I know it'd be easier to lug the watering can inside to the tap when the tomatoes need a drink, but... it just seems nicer somehow.
-
I used to drink a lot of Radler myself (by the jug, even, against all the people who thought I was nuts), but now I find I'm either in the mood for that citrus flavour or I'm not - sadly the latter more often. I might have to grab one at some point just to be sure though.
Also, is it just me or is the Monteiths Celtic somewhat underrated?
-
Whaleoil has his own take on the Maharey piece up, and it's everything that you'd expect. Particularly since two posts down is a piece entitled "2008: The year that global warming was disproved".
-
Ta muchly to all who offered beer suggestions. I am occasionally partial to the Radler but will likely give Sun Dance a go.
Shame about today's weather in Auckland then...