Monday 14 February 2011
Ramblings of a Grandma: The Red Planet History in the making.
Ramblings of a Grandma: The Red Planet History in the making.: "Just seen a feature on the tele about folks in training for when they actually land on the Red Planet (Mars); the special suits being made fo.."
The Red Planet History in the making.
Just seen a feature on the tele about folks in training for when they actually land on the Red Planet (Mars); the special suits being made for it and so on - how cool is all this??
It propelled me back to my youth when I "was there" witnessing man first walking on the Moon. It's one of those "I can remember just where I was days/nights" when history was being made. I'd had special permission from my parents to stay up and watch it. It was surreal, I remember before climbing into bed after watching the pictures as they were relayed on our black and white tele (the tele itself was a new acquisition for us!!) looking up at the moon and telling myself that there were now people up there doin stuff and I just couldn't get my head around this truly unique event, people up there like me and I'm down here going about my daily business. I hadn't fully understood I was part of "history in the making" at the time, but now appreciate just how momentous "that small step for man and giant leap for mankind" was. Today space travel and all its relative adjuncts goes almost unnoticed in the World's Press. I fear we've become de-sensitised to such amazing feats of Space travel. What a great world we live in and what clever people live on it, past present & future - I for one am grateful for those who think outside the box and the courageous ones who persist when others say "it just can't be done!!
It propelled me back to my youth when I "was there" witnessing man first walking on the Moon. It's one of those "I can remember just where I was days/nights" when history was being made. I'd had special permission from my parents to stay up and watch it. It was surreal, I remember before climbing into bed after watching the pictures as they were relayed on our black and white tele (the tele itself was a new acquisition for us!!) looking up at the moon and telling myself that there were now people up there doin stuff and I just couldn't get my head around this truly unique event, people up there like me and I'm down here going about my daily business. I hadn't fully understood I was part of "history in the making" at the time, but now appreciate just how momentous "that small step for man and giant leap for mankind" was. Today space travel and all its relative adjuncts goes almost unnoticed in the World's Press. I fear we've become de-sensitised to such amazing feats of Space travel. What a great world we live in and what clever people live on it, past present & future - I for one am grateful for those who think outside the box and the courageous ones who persist when others say "it just can't be done!!
Friday 11 February 2011
Car Treats
I do believe my car thinks it's her birthday. She had a wash last weekend, you know one of those hand car washes usually manned by Eastern Europeans trying to earn a living. I got so fed up with trying to find an automatic car wash that actually was in working order I chose the hand wash option and I got a real bargain all for a fiver - excellent service - you should try one! Really conscientious guys at cleaning every possible mud splat and grimey salt smudges off of my car. I discovered once again the beautiful colour of my car a nice sensitive metallic light blue and didn't she shine well after her scrub up.
Not only that she has she had a new tyre fitted (eventually since it was almost a year ago I was told that it needed changing - hasn't it done well!!), it was time for her general health check i.e. annual service & M.O.T. With memories of last year when the car bill came to almost £1500.00 and a good dose of fear & trepidation I decided to change the habit of my little car's lifetime and book her into the garage where I had the tyre's changed instead of the garage where she was purchased from new. That original dealer garage have already pumped me for the last 2 weeks to book the service with them at the bargain price of £89.99 just to look the car over and £39.99 for the MOT if I booked both at the same time!! so goodness knows what it may have cost if I had gone for their "bargain prices" only to find out it needed some more major repairs on top - my little car - bless her is just not worth that much at 6 years old and 98,000+ miles on the clock although she has served me very well over the years without a word of complaint!!
My little local friendly garage offered me so much more of a better deal with an interim service of £60.00 plus £43.00 for the MOT. Yes my little car needed a brake pad - (I thought so when I found I wasn't stopping as quickly as I should when the brake was almost to the floor - not normal methinks!!) and some new wipers to pass the MOT which she did with flying colours after the minor adjustments. The bill thankfully was a fraction of what it could have been. Yes if I was a mechanic I could have done it even cheaper - but I'm not and whose to say I would not have done such a good job anyway at the price I paid.
Let's go back to supporting our local concerns, I think we've lost much of that over the years and been swept up in so much commercial hype we overlook the locals who are there to serve and serve well without ripping us off - and we can trust. Let's rally to the locals once more folks!!
Not only that she has she had a new tyre fitted (eventually since it was almost a year ago I was told that it needed changing - hasn't it done well!!), it was time for her general health check i.e. annual service & M.O.T. With memories of last year when the car bill came to almost £1500.00 and a good dose of fear & trepidation I decided to change the habit of my little car's lifetime and book her into the garage where I had the tyre's changed instead of the garage where she was purchased from new. That original dealer garage have already pumped me for the last 2 weeks to book the service with them at the bargain price of £89.99 just to look the car over and £39.99 for the MOT if I booked both at the same time!! so goodness knows what it may have cost if I had gone for their "bargain prices" only to find out it needed some more major repairs on top - my little car - bless her is just not worth that much at 6 years old and 98,000+ miles on the clock although she has served me very well over the years without a word of complaint!!
My little local friendly garage offered me so much more of a better deal with an interim service of £60.00 plus £43.00 for the MOT. Yes my little car needed a brake pad - (I thought so when I found I wasn't stopping as quickly as I should when the brake was almost to the floor - not normal methinks!!) and some new wipers to pass the MOT which she did with flying colours after the minor adjustments. The bill thankfully was a fraction of what it could have been. Yes if I was a mechanic I could have done it even cheaper - but I'm not and whose to say I would not have done such a good job anyway at the price I paid.
Let's go back to supporting our local concerns, I think we've lost much of that over the years and been swept up in so much commercial hype we overlook the locals who are there to serve and serve well without ripping us off - and we can trust. Let's rally to the locals once more folks!!
Monday 7 February 2011
Birthday Bites
Yes it's come around again the birthday - today, you know that event that creeps up on you much quicker once you've got past the 20's phase of your life - the birthday breaks always seemed so much longer then! How come now I'm approaching the 60's phase the birthdays seem to be getting closer together or is it my mind playing tricks yet again? I really can't remember.
Are these things a glimpse into the future of what to expect? The instances where I walk into a room and can't remember what I went in there for are becoming more frequent. Don't mind that so much - the worrying aspect is now (I assume phase 2 of one's lifecycle) I can't remember why I was even making for that room in the first place!! Ah well the joys of growing up - think I'll stay in the toddler phase - so much more fun!! I love birthdays really it reminds you of how old you are - just in case you've forgotten - now where was I??
Are these things a glimpse into the future of what to expect? The instances where I walk into a room and can't remember what I went in there for are becoming more frequent. Don't mind that so much - the worrying aspect is now (I assume phase 2 of one's lifecycle) I can't remember why I was even making for that room in the first place!! Ah well the joys of growing up - think I'll stay in the toddler phase - so much more fun!! I love birthdays really it reminds you of how old you are - just in case you've forgotten - now where was I??
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