Diary of an Ordinary Van

[Vee4]

I wish it stored that well in the MK5

Indeed! I only took my Mk5 jack out of the official 'stowage' once - for the next 12 years it lived in its Velcro-fastened bag just behind the driver's seat.

[ake]

I wish it stored that well in the MK5

Indeed! I only took my Mk5 jack out of the official 'stowage' once - for the next 12 years it lived in its Velcro-fastened bag just behind the driver's seat.

Thats where mine lived as well. At least the MK6/7 comes with a better sized wrench

[Vee4]

A Mighty Wind

In the last few days, for some reason, I've found myself humming the Burt Bacharach tune, Three Wheels on My Wagon. It was popularised by The New Christy Minstrels in the sixties and was a frequent request on the BBC's Two-way Family Favourites.

The song appeared on the NCM's Cowboys and Indians album which you can see and hear on Åke (no relation) Holm's excellent fan site.



Any similarity between the New Christy Minstrels and the New Main Street Singers featured in the spoof 'folkumentary' A Mighty Wind, from Spinal Tap's Christopher Guest, is probably intentional.



The Mighty Wind DVD is recommended viewing (although you may have to be an industry insider to appreciate some of it) and the The Folksmen are particularly well observed. When Spinal Tap appeared in concert at Carnegie Hall, The Folksmen performed as an unbilled support act and they were booed off by Tap fans who did not recognise them!

[Altransit]

A Mighty Wind

In the last few days, for some reason, I've found myself humming the Burt Bacharach tune, Three Wheels on My Wagon.

I'm sure I heard it on Radio 2 a couple of weeks back, I seem to remember thinking about how long it was since I had heard it myself

[Vee4]

'Tis the season to be ... avoiding pot-holes

The Ordinary Van has been dodging pot-holes for the last few weeks. It hit one recently that was disguised by being full to the brim with water and the impact caused the CD player to mute. I stopped and inspected underneath for damage, but it seems to be OK. Some of the pot-holes have white paint lines around them which presumably means that they will be repaired eventually but at least for now it makes them easier to spot.

I am reminded again of Robert Burns' Epigram On Rough Roads. He was a great observer and chronicler of daily life.

Alex Salmond was quoting Burns again recently, using the "Till ... the rocks melt wi' the sun" line from the Red, Red Rose poem, which contains many oft-quoted lines. He was speaking about student tuition fees, so the line is somewhat out of context.

[ake]

'Tis the season to be ... avoiding pot-holes

The Ordinary Van has been dodging pot-holes for the last few weeks. It hit one recently that was disguised by being full to the brim with water and the impact caused the CD player to mute. I stopped and inspected underneath for damage, but it seems to be OK. Some of the pot-holes have white paint lines around them which presumably means that they will be repaired eventually but at least for now it makes them easier to spot.

I am reminded again of Robert Burns' Epigram On Rough Roads. He was a great observer and chronicler of daily life.

Alex Salmond was quoting Burns again recently, using the "Till ... the rocks melt wi' the sun" line from the Red, Red Rose poem, which contains many oft-quoted lines. He was speaking about student tuition fees, so the line is somewhat out of context.

Alex Samond is usually out of context, for he is an idiot

[Vee4]

Alex Salmond is usually out of context, for he is an idiot

Interesting to hear a point of view from 'north of the border' but I should avoid making out of context remarks myself! Back to Transits ...

[ake]

Alex Salmond is usually out of context, for he is an idiot

Interesting to hear a point of view from 'north of the border' but I should avoid making out of context remarks myself! Back to Transits ...

I'll help, we have just taken delivery of two new 115ps 350Med/Med

[Vee4]

How long is it now?

Two years. Two years of Forum membership; two years of TomTom ownership. I was reminded of the latter by the need to renew the map and 'safety camera' subscriptions. The Forum is subscription-free and excellent value for the money.

The celebration used the same 'cake' as last year. It just doesn't go stale in the same way as the joke:


(Serving suggestion only - Transit not included)

This year, a real party is in order. Why have a virtual party with Wikipedia guests when you can have a real party, surrounded by Ford Transit Forum luminaries? See you this Saturday at the Ace Café perhaps? The Veggie Breakfast is calling ...



Picture by pollag

[Vee4]

Who was Lobby Lud?



Lobby Lud was a fictional character invented in 1927 by the Westminster Gazette. The idea was to boost sales of the paper during the 'silly season' when the British worker was at the seaside and not buying newspapers. If you spotted Mr Lud from his description and you were carrying a copy of the paper, you could approach him and say: "You are Lobby Lud and I claim my five pounds!" Of course, five pounds was worth something in those days. The phrase has entered common parlance in the generic form: "You are #### and I claim my ####!" A well-known example is the Private Eye cover from 1968.

It occurred to me that I could use the technique to find out if anyone is actually reading this stuff. Assuming I still have at least three wheels on the Ordinary Van and I make it to the Ace Café on Saturday, members carrying a printout of this post can approach me and state: "You look like a man who drives an Ordinary Van, and I claim my prize!" There is only one real prize, but there may be some 'runners up' prizes of cups of Ace Café coffee. Available only while stocks last (stocks of cash in my pocket). No rain checks (even if it's raining).

[Vee4]

It occurred to me that I could use the technique to find out if anyone is actually reading this stuff. Assuming I still have at least three wheels on the Ordinary Van and I make it to the Ace Café on Saturday, members carrying a printout of this post can approach me and state: "You look like a man who drives an Ordinary Van, and I claim my prize!"

I guess I know the answer now. I'll keep the prize for next time ...

[Altransit]

I do read the thread, but was unable to make it to the Ace, as I was working

[Vee4]

I do read the thread, but was unable to make it to the Ace, as I was working

Well, we are heading up towards 20,000 hits so there are some readers. Don't forget to carry your 'proof of purchase'. Clue: I won't be smoking a pipe or sporting a dodgy fedora!

[ake]

I do read the thread, but was unable to make it to the Ace, as I was working

Well, we are heading up towards 20,000 hits so there are some readers. Don't forget to carry your 'proof of purchase'. Clue: I won't be smoking a pipe or sporting a dodgy fedora!

I probably would have come out with a smart arse remark along those lines, but the Ace is a bit far for me to come for a brew and a burger

[Vee4]

I have just completed my 2011 Census form - you have done yours, haven't you? I was disappointed to find there was no section provided for detailing my Transit ownership(s). I did think of entering TRANSIT in Section 20 'Any other religion, write in'. In the same way, JEDI became the fourth largest 'religion' in the 2001 Census!