We left at 11.00am.. In a 2 litre fuel guzzling lowered 206 gti ssi xyz big fat exhaust weilding beast courtesy of Linchpin..This car was cool, it was nice... we're cruising along nice and safely.. taking in the breeze, listining to metal on the mother of all car stereaos. Axeman says in passing "aint it nice we dont have to rush - we can take it easy, plenty of time"

It broke down!!!!

Linchpin puts his foot down on his cluctch at the Monouth roundabout to recieve a satisfying crunch..... We coasted off the road, down a lane, and onto someone's driveway. The clutch cable had gone. Nevermind we had a car loaded full of technology courtsey of Axeman

Within 2 seconds he had his GPS to the sky, got a location and phoned up the AA (car recovery). We told them of our plight, and were told that a mechanic with part will be on his way. Sure enough he got hear within half an hour... but the bugger didnt have the part. "oh nooo mate, didnt tell me that mate"

He pops open the bonnet, has a route around and does that thing all mechnics do... the irritating chin scratching follwed by a "hhhmmmmmm" He went to his wagon and got us the number of the local pegeout dealer in the hope that we could get a part. Could we get one.. nope... could they tell us what the part number... were they any bloody use? Well they reffered us to the local Citeroan garage "yeah mate - Citeraon Xantia clutch cables work"

So our Friendly Greese Monkey (and he was friendly - nice chap) loaded us and car onto the back of his vehicle and took us to the citeroan garage. On route to the Citeroan garage, Axeman whips out his tablet PC and connects via GPRS in the hopes that peageots web site will contain part numbers..
Upon arrival at Citeroan we are greeted by a Dell boy esq sales man. Typical bloody garage, with posters of topless women everywhere, and not a mechanic in sight. They speak to our Mechanic and conclude amongst themselves that the problem with the clucth was not the cable but the ####ty bit of £20 plastic that connects the cable to the clutch. So they give the mechnic two peices of plastic and tell him to see which one fits.

So back on the wagon... and he says that he has to take us to his lock up in order to fit the bugger. He keeps driving.. He drives for miles, and recalls a story to us about how drinking guiness made his #### turn black. We are travelling further and further away, we are going up a hill, up hills, more hills, mountains, peaks - there is bloody snow up here!! He takes us further.. The air is getting thinner... He trundles along into the woods. I knew where we were.. I saw a sign.

The Forest of Dean.. buggery country.. where inbreeding is rife (and im not being flippant here - its true, it has documented problems as a result of interbreeding down the ages), and stories of leather face are born. This place is remote and dodgy. He takes us into his lock up. Huge fences, trimmed nicely with Barbed wire. His office a caravan. It starts to rain.

He takes the car off the wagon, pushes it into his car pit. Spends some time messing around... to tell us...

"Sorry mate, I cant fit this"

He then somehow manages to bugger up the electrics in Linchpins motor... Ok, so the car is stuck.. what solution do we have... AA man is leaving us here. Its no longer his problem.

I try and hire a car, but dont have my licence on me. There is only one option. Linchpin drove us back to wales sans cluctch... revving the car like mad and hitting it into 5th gear, bypassing 2,3 and 4. There was a minor problem leaving the Mechanic's Lock up... Speed Humps. Linchpins car was lowered.... Axe, Mike and Myself are tubby bitches.. our combined weight was such that with the humps, the car was nearly grounded...
We had a choice. We could have stayed back in wales, we could have not come, but..
but..
That would be gay.
We got back to Wales at 3.00pm (we were here 5 hours earlier) and I phoned my Mum. She gave us a lift to Careleon where we picked up Ed's car. So we hit the road in a 1.1 Kia pride. A car not really designed for, well driving...we wish Kev (linchpin) could have come, but he wanted to get his motor fixed for monday.

We painfully crawled up hills... Mike at the helm. keeping it in 1st for the poor little engine was working its socks off. We were all so hungary - Mike had food, but Axe and I were self injesting. We ended up forking out money at a WIMPY.. a WIMPY.. they make McDonalds look like cordon Bleau.... We then trundled on our way, with the view to hitting the Big Bash at 7.00pm... and we would have, had it not been for the M6 toll road wrong turn and almost running outta fuel - thankfully we rolled onto a petrol staion fourcourt. So we were still optimistic, we honestly thought we were on schedule and rocking Meanwhile my medicine had worn off cos of my cold... and I started sneesing everywhere.. it was raining, we were going loopy.

Jurrasic left a message on my answer phone, telling us the way.. we eventually met the road he told us we had to be on. Its 7.00pm now... we get lost somemore, and in the end the Editor comes out in his car, finds us and we follow him.

Finally we get there, its neigh on 9.30 - I meet IanS, (he has a really fit girlfriend ). The Editors bro takes us to the BandB so we can cheque in. By the time we get back to the hall...

THE *********** PRESENTATION IS OVER!!

So there was only one thing for it.. I sold my CD32 to Jurrasic for £30 and set about liquidising my assets. 8 pints in an hour, and somehow I thought I had been put through this #### for a reason. I concluded that micro A1 must be mine. So I bought...£24 worth of raffle tickets... I was only gonna but 2.. but what can I say Jurrasic's wife to be was selling the tickets (I think thats a bone of contention.. from what i have been told they have been engaged forever, so he should sorta marry her now.. ) and she had lovely eyes... Beer.. its evil.... but I thought I can justify this as the money im spending is from the CD32, and its going to charity.

So how gutted did I feel when I lost.......... I also somehow managed to rip my trousers, got stupidly drunk due to paracetamol, lack of food - but mostly 8 pints. Missed the buffet, but had a drum stick. Swung Jurrasic round my head - dunno why. Did the same with IanS.. only he was smuggling pints of guiness in his pockets back to the BandB.. the guiness went all over my head. But I was tamed compared to the beast known as MIKE AMIGA.. He was drinking pints of archers... which IIRC is 15% proof.

I ended up carrying IanS A1500 back to the BandB for him (he says its a 2000, but its not, its a 1500, as it has two floppies.. it says 2000 on the back, but they always did. The sticker which says 1500 on the front is worn. It was IIRC only for the British market..) We have to negotiate some steps and a rather large puddle... so I hand the 1500 to him and he drops it / I drop it/ we both drop it. It slides down the bank to a heavy SPLASH in the puddle....

We then get back to the BandB... que much hijinks...

I forgot to add - that night I had a dream..

I was looking at a micro A1.. the fan was sucking me in.. whispering "your never gonna have me" and Sicky, Rigo, Ryu, and Rob were inside it laughing, Giving me the finger.... ??????




But then, I dindnt really sleep due to Axemans Baratone farts.. I am gonna have so much funny giveing the best mans speach at his wedding

@Bobsonsirjonny

Nice, if a bit sad, read.

@Eric_S

Nah, it was cool. We were on a Mission!!

I forgot to add...

as we broke down we passed a Redhouse drive.. I'm sure it was like an oman or something.. taunting us....

And the 1500 wasnt military spec......

@Bobsonsirjonny

Quote:

And the 1500 wasnt military spec.......

Sounds like it was a good bash! Wish I was there instead of here in sub-tropical northern New Zealand. Oh, is that rubbing it in?

@smithy

Well it must be great if you're still posting here!

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Life starts at 030, is fun at 040 and causes impotence at x86.

When I saw this thread's topic I though it was about die-hards still using the "Advanced Architecture" chipset!

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@Intuitioned

Me too.... doh! Oh well I still read on as I saw the man bobson at the bash so I was interested about his journey.... :P

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Amiga A1200, 3.1 ROMs, Blizzard 1230 MKIV 64MB & FPU, 4GB DoM SSD, Workbench 3.1

@Bobsonsirjonny

All in all, it seems that you guys had quite an adventure. Hopefully, it all worked out well in the end.

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@Quixote

Dude - as far as journey's go - its up their with LoTR