We're all a nice group of mongrels in the British Isles...you can't occupy such a small space without being related. But that's okay, 'cos mongrels are the best.
Tbh, I think that perhaps you ought to be talking this out with her, if you haven't fully already.; But what is the motivation, Is it purely altruistic.? Or is there a self interest element that you are to be denied.? It's her decision after all. And I like Abarths too. Although I like ordinary Fiats anyway. I think both the old and new Fiat 500s are iconic cars. My personal preference from the new one would be the Twin Air.
Twin air is what she decided on. Its a ducati twin engine with a turbo bolted on, that tries its best to sound sporty through the specially tuned exhausts, but doesn't really do it. They're not very economical either, as people tend to drive them fairly hard due to the tiny, buzzy motor - 40mpg will be about average which doesn't seem much in this ultra efficient age. The Abarth's engine is a 1.4 turbo, which although larger and more powerful, will give a similar economy as you don't need to thrash it to have fun (although you can of course, should the mood take you). The twin air has a glass roof, the Abarth doesn't. That is what decided her....if the sky was something she wanted to see through the roof, then why not buy a bloody convertible - they make a 500c Abarth too! Getting a twin air rather than an Abarth is like having an expensive burger when you could have a nice steak!
Yep. Glass roof in the one she's getting. Not even an opening one, just one you can see through. That is literally the only thing she could think of that made her prefer the slow one to the car I would have loved to have occasional access to and had wanted for a number of years! It just makes me realise that the sacrifices that I make on a daily basis in order to keep everybody in the manner that they have grown accustomed to, such as doing a job I don't like and can be really stressful but pays well, or driving my own boring sensible car because it is more economical and practical, are the actions of a mug and are not appreciated. What I should be doing, apparently, is whatever suits me and not bother compromising - even on very expensive purchases that potentially have a knock on effect on other financial decisions. I could enjoy life a bit more if I did start living like that, but I have a feeling I'll be the only one.
I'm a pale ale fan (and IPA's). I like the hops to be balanced with a little sweetness of fruit. Some of my favourites are Hophead (Dark Star) Hopsmack (Black cat brewery) Long blond (Long man brewery) and Tribute. These are all good session pale ales. Saying that, I do like some best bitters with a more nutty and biscuity taste. London pride can be a great pint if kept right. Harvey's best is quite distinctive and Timothy Taylor landlord is a good pint. Tend to drink these more in winter. I also love Belgium beers, but that's another story. Always good to talk about life's pleasures!
Here's one for Tom and Fats .... (Think everyone will be interested in it too!) Must admit it had me wincing .... May I join you, please?
I tend towards the golden ales in the summer, reasonably chilled. Exmoor gold is my favourite, although all the Exmoor brews are splendid. Butcombe fo a real crisp golden ale too. Wintertime, I'm with TSS and its Wadworth Oldtimer when it's available. Otherwise its strong dry IPAs like Caladonian's Deuchars IPA.
My lad is back safely from Japan with a photo taken from a glass platform on the Tokyo Sky Tree. It's 340m up, looking straight down
Blimey, they've changed since I was at school...! I went to: Barcelona, Boulogne and Brussels. Plus your standard country parks and what not in the UK. There was an opportunity to go to Iceland but it was all orientated around Geography and I decided against it after me and Geography had a falling out after an exam.
Yes, it was a big trip, however he's studying Japanese (our local state school specialises in languages) and so we decided that it would be beneficial for him educationally as well as an incredible cultural experience.