CitroJim's AX, C3 Picasso, Cycling and Running Tales

[CitroJim]

The skip is for both the garage and a general attic/house/garden clearance Chris but you'd be amazed at how much else has crept in since last time!

As long as I can open the door a little I'll be good... There's not a lot of me sideways-on and I can squeeze through very small gaps

Even if I can't the AX is such a light car I can just push it in and out... Used to do that when I used to keep a 205 in the garage...

One job I'll be doing is to catalogue the remaining Xantia spares I have... Some may become available in the fullness of time...

[CitroJim]

Big job today! Making room in my garage for Daffodil

It's now become very urgent as I've just lost my additional parking on an old friend's driveway... She was the one who tragically succumbed to the Big C late last week and her relatives are now in residence and getting her house and affairs in order - There's no room there for Pix whilst that goes on...

With Zel's Activa still here I currently have four cars parked outside my house!!! Normal maximum capacity whilst keeping space for visitors is two!

Poor Val, she fought the Big C so hard and confounded the doctor's predictions for over a year after being given just weeks to live... She was a real fighter, a huge character and one of a kind... I shall miss her terribly but she'll live on in my memory for ever

[Chris570]

Oh, I'm sorry to hear about Val! She was such a character!!

[CitroJim]

Oh, I'm sorry to hear about Val! She was such a character!!

Absolutely! She was the very definition of character

Daffodil is almost inside the garage Fag-paper clearances but she'll just fit

Pictures later....

[CitroJim]

Daffodil all nicely tucked-up in her very own warm and cosy garage

Daffodil and me in her garage!

She only just fits with barely an inch to spare around the lathe and air compressor... It's a good jiob I'm small and lithe or I could never get in and out

Main thing is, she does fit and can be cosseted for the rest of her life She may never see rain or experience winter weather ever again!

It took me all day to sort out and reorganise my garage today but it was well worth doing 15 years worth of muck and dirt was cleaned up and lots of rubbish disposed of

A nice clean and tidy garage

Huge thanks Zel for your help today and taking these photos I tried to take some and failed despite laying across my workbench

Zel's phone has a wide-angel lens and it did the job a treat

Trying to take a photo!

The last time a car lived in my garage was in 2004... Then it was my much-missed 205GTi and again with barely an inch to spare and that was before I had the lathe and air compressor!

A very successful and rewarding day

This is just phase one of an even bigger reorganisation

[admiral51]

Wow Jim, we always knew you were really laid back just that you had to find your own unique position
Side note really really great see you being Activa on the forum, we have missed you

[Skull]

Daffodil all snug Well sorted Jim + Zel

[Peter.N.]

I have a double garage, get a car in it - no chance. Yours looks very tidy Jim.

Peter

[CitroJim]

Side note really really great see you being Activa on the forum, we have missed you

Thanks It's good to be back Colin

Yours looks very tidy Jim.

Looks can be deceptive Peter, I still have a lot of tidying to do

[CitroJim]

A good and productive day today

Both Sally and Pix enjoyed a good bath

Here they are basking in the sun drying off...

Sally drying off in the sun

Sally all lovely and clean

Pix drying off in the sun

They both scrub up rather well

As I may have mentioned, Pix is our lodger, she just lives here, she belongs to Sian, my youngest. She's home this weekend and will be pleased to have a nice, clean car to drive... She'll also find Pix has new windscreen wipers. The old ones were in a shocking state...

This evening, as soon as the sun went down I waxed Sally. A job that was long overdue... Before a good wash and polish her paint was looking a bit dull...

In between all that I did more work on reorganising and sorting out the garage. The task is going very well and is incredibly satisfying

The pile of rubbish for the skip is growing well too!

[CitroJim]

I've not had a tremendous amount of time to spend playing cars today due to going on a long 8 mile run run, a 50 mile bike ride, general domestic work and baking a batch of flapjacks

On the bike I visited a place with lots of automotive connections... I'd love to go in there and cycle around the test tracks but visitors are not welcome...

Millbrook Proving Ground...

It began life as a Vauxhall test track but nowadays it's where lots of hush-hush stuff gets done for many organisations...

I did get a bit done on Daffodil today... I looked into why her wireless sounds so awful...

I believe I've found the cause...

They're a bit past it...

New speakers sought

[mickthemaverick]

Back in the 80's our rally club was invited to assist with some continuous running tests at Millbrook. Needless to say I volunteered and then got the short straw. I had the dubious pleasure of driving a diesel van around the alpine track for 2 hour stints interspersed with 20 minute runs at high speed in a petrol engined omega prototype. Turned out to be a pretty tough 12 hour shift without much joy other than trying to drive the alpine circuit with eyes closed and a co driver, just to break up the monotony. The biggest issue we had though was that we were never told the results of our testing so felt somewhat let down by the whole thing!

[NewcastleFalcon]

....
On the bike I visited a place with lots of automotive connections... I'd love to go in there and cycle around the test tracks but visitors are not welcome...



It began life as a Vauxhall test track but nowadays it's where lots of hush-hush stuff gets done for many organisations...

Vauxpedia is a tremendous resource for all things vauhall, every brochure, press and promotional photos, testing, the lot. I havent seen anything more comprehensive on any make of car. For reference here's the bit on the Millbrook Proving Ground.

http://vauxpedianet.uk2sitebuilder.com/ ... ing-ground

Here they are laying the Belgian Pave for the Suspension Testing!

granite blocks and an orange car

Regards Neil

[white exec]

Can I make a recommendation for replacement speakers, Jim?
Try Pyle Pro (from Pyle Audio) - PDMW5, PDMW6 - 5" and 6" respectively, whatever space allows.
Full dimensions and spec on Pyle Audio website.
Units available from Amazon.uk.
Have fitted them to XM front doors, and used others in small hifi enclosures.

[CitroJim]

Can I male a recommendation for replacement speakers, Jim?

Thanks Chris

Just the job and helped me negotiate a minefield A pair of 5.25" ones on order from Amazon. Arriving tomorrow

Vauxpedia is a tremendous resource for all things vauhall, every brochure, press and promotional photos, testing, the lot. I havent seen anything more comprehensive on any make of car. For reference here's the bit on the Millbrook Proving Ground.

Thanks Neil, enjoying that immensely

Back in the 80's our rally club was invited to assist with some continuous running tests at Millbrook.

Seems to be the way Mick... One of my cycling friends was excited be invited to press launch there needing bike riding around part of the track. Turned out it was exceeding tedious and involved almost a day of hanging around waiting for turns and being bored mindless!