I remember as a small boy sitting in the passenger seat of my Grandfather's Rover 12 "Lizzie" on a Sunday afternoon, for that was the day he and my Grandmother would take it out for a drive and a picnic in the country (they lived in Southgate, N. London). In those days petrol was cheap enough and the roads uncrowded enough to make such an idea reasonable. My sole pre-occupation was to spot an AA patrol man approaching in the opposite carriageway, because my Grandfather was a member and proclaimed such with a chromed and yellow enamelled badge on the front bumper. Resplendent in a khaki uniform with black facings, astride a motor bike and sidecar combination, the patrolman would throw up a smart gauntleted salute having espied the badge. My Grandfather thought it was aimed at him, being a member, but it was of course for me. Occasionally though there was no salute, much to my disgust. My Grandfather never seemed phased by such a seeming slight, explaining that he simply hadn't seen our badge. What a nonsense! Now of course I see a more sinister explanation, a subversive plot to undermine the forces of law and order. I'm shocked. Deeply shocked!
Smudge, apologies for having so defamed your Pied a Terre, and you a Hercules Ground Engineer to boot! Please ignore my unforgivable crassness.
Last edited by Chugalug2; 19th May 2013 at 17:51.