Just watched last Sunday's Top Gear and although it was pretty good [I do like Sabine Schmitt], the best bit was Matt Le Blanc telling the audience what he was testing this week. A MOTORCYCLE.! At ****ing last, Top Gear are testing motorbikes again. YESSS.! I don't care what it is, even though it happens to be a Ducati 1299 Superleggera, it's a bike. Tbh, I never quite thought I'd see the day again. Thank goodness they kicked Clarkson off the show. The aforementioned vehicle: please log in to view this image Tastefully in Ducati's very own red and white stripes, no less.
Interesting little bit of trivia [to one or two]. There are motorbikes and motorbikes. Back in the old days [for me as a kid, that's the 1960's] bikes used to have two wheels, an attractive looking engine in the middle, a fuel tank on top and a battery box, with perhaps an oil tank too [dry sump]. You looked at them and they looked balanced and right. If you put a fairing on them they were the same bike but were partially covered up. So, on and off, I've owned bikes like that all my life. Then I got my VFR and it wasn't like that anymore. My bike looks beautiful just stood there. But when you take its fairings off it looks pig ugly and unbalanced. So I said there were bikes and bikes. Well the Ducati above is much the same as the latter type. Here's a photo of it with its fairings off: please log in to view this image Not as pretty as in the first picture, is it.
Ah, so that's what happened to the poster that was on Cortese's office wall. I wonder what our fees paid in that direction are now?
There was also a guy who worked in London who had another terrific one-off job. Sienna Miller was in a film about the publishers of Oz magazine (it was never released, I think). She had to do a nude scene walking into a pond. Unfortunately, being a modern girl, she lacked... er... the "copious shrubbery" that was the norm at the time. Someone at a customer of mine had to animate a ladygarden on in post production to follow her movements as she walked into the pond. He reckoned that every person working in the building checked his work. Vin
Nice voice too, although the pedant in me has to point out that it isn't an Irish song at all. The Lakes of Ponchartrain is an American folk song.
I've just used the online passport renewal service. So, so simple. You can even take your own photos now, so long as they match the proper requirements. We tried but weren't happy with them, so had them done professionally, with the photos emailed to me. Took fewer than 5 minutes, including the payment. Highly recommend it. Just have to go to the post office to send off the old one, then see if they hit their estimated turn around of 3 weeks. Only drawback I can see, unless I missed it, is not being able to link two passports to the same renewal process, which means sending two passports off in separate envelopes, owing to the address containing a reference number specific to each individual application. https://gov.uk/apply-renew-passport
Loved the old passport....hope we go back to a dark blue one. P.s. I wasn't so fond of it that I put the red one into a pretend blue cover. Now that's just sad.
I've retained all my old passports. My first one was the old type with the stiff cover. Still my favourite. And I look so young in it too.
I read the other day as of yet no decision has been made regarding the colour of our passports when we exit the EU. Probably stay red IMO.
I'd bank on navy blue again. Such a simple change and would be popular....quite a lot of people didn't like the change to the universal red version. An easy way to please people...so why wouldn't you. Sadly, unlikely to be the nice robust ones....the bendy version will be retained as it is more convenient.
Not to those who have just renewed......unless the existing ones are allowed to continue for their duration. Don't know if the EU would allow that, because of the EU symbol on it. Blimey, maybe the Spanish will start checking passports on arrival? Because my wife is lifted from the plane, using an ambulift, we circumnavigate the usual route, past the border, passport checks. Not had my passport checked, when arriving there, in the last 2 1/2 years.
Suspect they would issue replacements. There were no problems in the past....they checked passports, just as they do now.
I can imagine his work being rather popular! The next time I go to the US and have to fill out the entry form, I'm going to put my occupation down as "Merkin wrangler" and see if they ask me about it ..... Apparently making and fitting merkins is quite big business now for series like "Game of Thrones" and "Black Sails" due to the fashion trends these days.
I have an Abercrombie horse riding coat. I bought it years ago because wind and rain can do nothing with it. Then a brother bought me a leather Stetson [basically a cowboy hat], and so on really horrible Sundays I occasionally use this kit when Rambling. Keeps the weather out fantastically. However, after watching Poldark, I did like the idea of a Tricorn hat. Let's face it, it's the British version of the Stetson, or visa versa. Still might get around to buying one if I can get it in leather.
