Should be pretty self-explanatory. Not much I can add. As with the 1989 V12 ‘Jaguar XJS’ convertible I sold last week, I just was NOT using this. This had been, under covers, in the garage, since 2019. The covers had NOT come off. Though I originally had the notion of preserving these lovely ol’ British cars, them just sitting, under covers, wasn’t doing any of us any good.
So, selling this one too. Some interest already. Someone is coming to see it tomorrow itself. I will let you know when I sell it. Wish me luck, though I am not sure I will need it. Beautiful car.
I had got it for my youngest daughter. But, she is NOT able to use it as yet, & will be impractical for her. So, we sold it. She got 75% of the sale price. Given that she ONLY asked for $200 she is mighty pleased. She will get another car when she gets her license.
I was sad to see it go. It was a good car. Historic. When we took it for the test drive & the V12 kicked in, I felt a pang. Boy, that car can accelerate.
Not practical. Neither of the Jags were suited for my current needs. I need a NEW CAR with all mod-cons for LONG (800 to 2,000 mile trips — with 600+ miles a day). Hence, the 2022 Volvo XC60. I also have a 2022 Mazda XC30 (with 1,350 miles) for local trips!
I sold it on Facebook. It was listed for 20-days. Encountered some ‘crazy’ folks. But, the eventual buyer, from New Hampshire, (a couple of years younger than I) was SUPER NICE. Dealing with him was a pleasure & honor. Very straightforward & upfront. I liked dealing with him. A professional salesman (just like I used to be).
The MGB, is still under wraps, in the garage — between the Volvo & the 2021 Ford Bronco. Yes, we still have 4 cars! I will sell the MGB this Summer. It has not been out for over 5-years!
I no longer own a Jag! Wow. I am kind of in shock. I have been walking around in shock. I don’t have a Jag! IF ONLY they would make a RELIABLE BRITISH JAG. I will NOT buy a Jag made by an Indian or Chinese company. A Jag, NOT made by a BRITISH company, is NOT a Jag. Period.
I was, alas, NOT aware of her until today. Then the ‘Female Artists in History‘ page on Facebook featured her twice, back-to-back. I was impressed with the first picture they had featured & was researching the artist when they posted the second picture. I have been following that page for years & do not recall them doing back-to-back posts on the same artist. I am glad they did.
Nancy Bailey is impressive. Her paintings resonate with I. I need to find out MORE about her. I wanted to make sure you heard about her too. ENJOY.
Cracks me up. I was a BIG fan 50 years ago! 50 years ago! And now my 17-year old daughter loves it. Watched it in its entirety (i.e., all seasons, all episodes) late last year & has started watching it AGAIN, systematically, episode-by-episode, this week. I caught a few snatches of dialog & knew exactly what it was. I am kind of happy.
Six or seven years ago I got her hooked onto British programming. She has watched ALL OFF ‘Downton Abbey‘ EIGHT (8) times!
I have subscriptions to BOTH ‘BritBox‘ & ‘Acorn‘ for HER! I haven’t watched anything on those two channels for years. I tend to watch ‘Netflix‘ & ‘Prime‘.
She does NOT get even half the jokes. LOT of British innuendo, British slang & it is dated. She doesn’t care. I try to explain. She is not bothered. She is HAPPY to watch it without fully appreciating all that is going on. She is like that. That is fine. As long as she is happy.
But, this cracks me up. I am not sure I could watch much more than 1 episode. I have seen them all & would kind of remember where it was going.
Click to ENLARGE. From my OLD blog which is no longer open.
Wow. Wow. WOW. She is good. She is brilliant. She is gifted. She is a treasure. I am so proud that she is British.
I raved about her after I listened to ‘Restoration‘ (my introduction to her). She had me captivated. I quickly listened to two others. Then I took a break. I kept on checking out ‘Music & Silence‘ & worried that 17th century life in “Denmark’s” Royal Court might not be my cup of tea. How wrong I was. It is her. She weaves such a masterful story. I was, & am, beyond hooked. I have to listen to all her other books. And I will.
“James Michener“, correctly, was proud as to who he would create compelling characters that live on with you even after you finished the book. Well, I think Rose Tremain is better! That is one heck of a compliment.
I am too far away & too divorced to see the supposed ‘dire economic crisis’. From what I see on ‘Facebook‘, cricket match coverage & occasionally here from the one Sri Lankan that I am in regular contact, things don’t look that bad. Life seems to be proceeding much as usual. But, I am willing to believe that there are some — maybe MANY — who are suffering. That is a shame. I wish we, in the West, would get MORE visibility of those in crisis, those in need, those in dire straits. All I see on Facebook is people living it up & enjoying the good life.
I had a quick look at the above YouTube. Looked like the usual, ex-British colony, Independence Day celebration. Yes, it could have been scaled down. That would have been appropriate. Would appear that it would have been appreciated by some too.
But, this is Sri Lanka — that has always loved marching to the beat on a different drummer.
I, alas, know more about papal history than I know about British history, European history or World History. I never got to study history in school past the age of 12! Yes. No, it wasn’t because there was anything wrong with me. It was THE SYSTEM — (I assume it would now be called the ‘Old’) British Schooling System. In those days of yore, & we are talking 1950s, 1960s & early 1970s, around the age of 12 you opted to follow ‘Arts’ or ‘Science’ (with the school occasionally letting people know that they have made the wrong choice & should switch).
IF you chose ‘science’ as I did then for the next 6 years all you did was math & science related subjects & some languages: e.g., English, a second language, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, physics, chemistry, biology, zoology etc. No history, no geography, no civics — just languages & science.
Well, at 12 I was still in Ceylon. They didn’t teach us British history in Ceylon. They taught us just Ceylon history. And that was that. That was the end of my formal education in history. Everything else, ever since, I have learnt through reading & my own research (particularly so when it came to papal history).
There are reams & reams I have NO CLUE about when it comes to British history. Yes, shame on I. I, now in my dotage, just don’t have the time to rectify that.
I think (& I can’t be sure) that I picked up this small, thin (a classic ‘Penguin‘) 208-page paperback at our local supermarket’s book swap bin. When I saw the title I knew what it was about. That much, i.e., ‘1066‘ & ‘Conquest’, I did know.
It was an absorbing, elucidating & informative read. David Howarth has an interesting style. It is economical (something I envy), comes across sometimes as stilted BUT it ends up being easy to assimilate. He has the knack of not getting lost in the weeds. Yes, I would have liked more, but in the end it proved to be Goldilocks.
If you like history you might want to give this book a try. I sure enjoyed it & learnt a bunch.
In Britain & the Commonwealth it is also a MAJOR SPORTING DAY. We have the ‘Boxing Day Test Match‘ (i.e., a 5-day cricket match between COUNTRIES) played in Australia. Given the time difference I managed to watch the start of it yesterday, i.e., Christmas.
Great Holiday. Makes Christmas into a 2-day feast.
Amazing that the Yanks haven’t cottoned onto this as yet. They will, they will.
First time this week that I went out other than for my multiple, daily rambles.
So, it was time to wear my Red Poppies. I was just going to wear one of my Canadian ones, but in the end decided to wear two. SMILE. I was going to wear my prized ‘Churchill‘ one, but it is small & at such most would not have noticed (& worse still, not recognized it). So, I played it safe.
As a good & loyal Brit, I have always been a big advocate of ‘Poppy Day’, i.e., November 11, ‘Remembrance Day‘ & the annual ‘British Poppy Appeal‘. I always try to wear one of my Red Poppies, with pride & respect, in the days leading up to Poppy Day. Now that COVID is kind of behind us, & I am getting around, I will start my tradition as of tomorrow — though I have to be very careful as to NOT lose any. Getting the real deal in the U.S. is NOT easy. I am currently using three poppies that were sent over to me from Canada.
I am NOT complaining. It is FREE & as such it is their prerogative & I would never deny that. At least they still have some news — unlike our town rag which no longer even makes a pretense of trying to include some local news. Again, it is free & they get local ads. irrespective of whether they bother to include any local news or not.
Doesn’t really bother me. I get 98% of my news online or from TV.
I just wanted to share this with you, just for edification.
