Salt and Pepper

Salt and Pepper holders who give big hugs.

Do you recognize the style?
This painting is done in the style of a very famous Irish artist.
Do you know his name?

Well my middle son is married into the best family on earth.

Wonderful music and much laughter.
A great time had by all.

A milestone has been passed in our great journey through life.
It is wonderful when so many people can come together for a happy occasion.

I have itchy feet now and am ready to be back at work.
The seat belt on the new car has 2 small cuts which would not pass the NCT,when I rang the local Toyota dealer he did not want to know.
"Thats an import its your problem"
Well my problem will be solved tomorrow but I will contact Toyota Japan to see if the dealers are not obliged to service the marque.
After all we all move through the EU,so I feel that they should be obliged, as part of their agency agreement to provide the service to any customer.

Back to getting another Taxi licence.
I rang a few people in the know and could not get a second hand plate.
I sent off a cheque for e6300.
I got it back and was told to make it payable to NCTS not the taxi regulator.

I wonder why the taxi regulator pays other companies to do the work of her office?
Every time I get a letter it comes from a different place(I get plenty of letters)

I now wait.

Last night it rained like the end of the world had come.
Floods all over today.
At least it keeps down the dust !

I am getting the seat belt from Traynors breakers yard near Moy in Co Armagh.

www.traynors.co.uk

If you have read this story before forgive me for telling it again.

When I was starting to drive my dad asked me to drive with him up to this breakers yard.
My first big outing at the wheel, and we made the 40 or so miles without mishap.
My dad told Mr.Traynor that I was learning to drive and had driven up all the way without much assistance.
Mr Traynor called over someone to get the part for my dad.

"Now you come here with me"

Then I learned the lesson of my life.

He brought me through the wrecked cars showing me bent steering wheels and broken windscreens (smashed by heads) Then to see how the knees of victims went through the dashboard only to have their knees broken by a bracket which held the steering colum in place.

"A few seconds late and look at the mess, beautiful cars wrecked, worst of all is the loss of life" then to nail his point home he showed me a child's shoe and the blood on the roof cloth.
A family devastated.
"I am not doing this to frighten you son
Just take your time and be late if you must"

Millions spent in awareness campaigns would never have hammered home that lesson as well.

From time to time when someone is rushing past I let them at it, I will remember my morning at Traynor's breakers yard until I die.

Last time I was up there there was a beautiful TVR with a cracked windscreen and a broken passenger window.
They were breaking her up.
Driver had fallen asleep at the wheel and was thrown out the window to die.

"No one will ever drive that car again,thats how it works up here"
Said one of the lads.

There was a big Bentley parked outside the place with a great number.
T1N or T1N MAN something like that.

One of my mates told me a story of when he was at school he used to sit beside this young guy of 14 who loved stripping cars down.
The teacher one day said
"Look at the state of you, oil on your hands and the cut of your clothes, you are an absolute disgrace,you will amount to NOTHING, I don't know how you can come to school looking like that"

As the teacher turned away the young lad stood up and emptied his pockets.

"There you are 120 quid! thats what I made since I left school yesterday.

How much did you make"?

That was in the late 60s

That shut up the teacher for a few weeks.
The young lad still has more money than the teacher to this day as well.

The painting .
Sir John Lavery who once did the design on the old pound note.
Funny thing is that that painting was done by a direct decendant of his.