Your Today in Pictures...

[Graham Ritchie]

If I remember right but its been a while since I watched it, I am pretty sure that the car driven by actor Elliot Gould on his way to that deserted airfield in "Capricorn One" was a Datsun 240Z. It caught my eye while watching it years ago not exactly sure if that's the model, its been a while.

If I remember right the 240Z was heavy on the clutch, its interesting that you call it a stick shift Janice, we just refer to a car with a clutch as a manual. Most cars in the UK and here back then, were manual. To get your driving license you could drive a automatic for your test but your license was restricted to automatic only, and were not allowed to drive a manual unless you sat and past in one, in which case your license would cover both types.

Those days are well and truly long gone, as most cars now are automatic. Only up to recent times have I owned a automatic, in my mind a car had to be a manual it was more fun I should add I don't drive like an idiot anymore, according to my granddaughter I am a "careful slow driver"

I came across this particular front cover of Haynes manual on the internet this morning, for any car owner a Haynes was really a must I still have some in the garage

[Janice Glesser]

When I was married we had a Datsun 280Z. I don't remember much about it. Just that I didn't really like it because it was a stick shift.

[Graham Ritchie]

One thing I remember about the Datsun 240Z it did not like to be driven in slow moving traffic. What I recall was having to ride the clutch in 1st gear as it really wanted to get up and go. Compared to many cars in 1st gear which would tick along nicely in slow moving traffic, the 240Z just wanted to fly

I only ever owned a Datsun and that was here in NZ a Datsun 312 three speed column change it was all I could afford at the time. One thing that stood out with Datsun was unlike British cars they did not leak oil, plus they were easy to work on and very reliable . I think they had a 260Z out here plus Datsun 1200sss model that was modified with a different carburetter and cam shaft, plus a few other things, That was the sports version the thing with the 1200cc engine you could really give it a hard time and it took it in its stride.


Today its a cold winter day 7C, standing on the side line with my jacket, wooly hat and gum boots in middle of a boggy paddock although looking at the heat waves and wild weather world wide I cant complain. A parent took these photos below over the last couple of weeks, today is the bottom one .

[Steve Klare]

Ah Yes!

Datsun B210! I remember it well!

When I was about 12 years old I rode in one from Long Island, New York to Syracuse. New York: 6+ hours, late at night. Two older family members got the front buckets but as they said "You can have the whole back seat.". -turns out I couldn't: it was either one side or the other! (Let me explain!)

This car had the tallest transmission hump I've ever seen: the back seat kind of bent a foot in the air to climb up and over. There I am: bone tired about 2 or 3AM being held bolt-upright by this human-sized socket. When we finally got to Syracuse, they found me a bed and I've never been so grateful for a night's sleep before or since! I mean: before Finals at College I did a couple of all-nighters, but at least in those cases I had the adrenaline of a potential "F" to keep me motivated!

-and the lesson for us all, is unless a little car is some kind of high-performance machine: front wheel drive is certainly the way to go! Sharing the back seat with a drive shaft doesn't exactly enhance passenger comfort!

Today I am literally a foot taller: I doubt I would have made it to Syracuse without some kind of medical attention!😁

[Mitchell Dvoskin]

I remember Datsun. My first summer job while in college in the 1970’s was as the manger/projectionist of a rural country drive-in located in southern Ohio. The job came with a company Datsun pickup truck. I learned to drive stick shift on that truck.

A few years later when back home in New Jersey I carpooled to a job with a guy who had a Datsun 240Z. I loved his car, but it already had rusting problems.

I read somewhere that Nisson brought the Datsun name back for a line of budget cars in a few 3rd world countries.

[Graham Ritchie]

The garage is to the left "David Blane and Son" , I wish I had a camera back then. This is the only photo of the place, I found it on the Paisley Facebook page. When I replied to the photo I got a reply from one of the eight apprentices that had worked there at the time. He said he wondered how I got on in NZ and added that in his words...I was one of the good guys that he had worked with......and that's after almost 50 years. I thought I was the only one that looked back, but not so. It was great to catch up. The place is long gone, but often wondered how everyone got on after I left they were a good bunch.

[Ed Gordon]

Anyone remember Datsun?

I had no idea Datsun manufactured buses!

[Graham Ritchie]

Anyone remember Datsun? hard to believe I still have that old Datsun certificate, its now been 50 years last month At the time I was the only Datsun qualified mechanic at the garage, and this particular certificate hung in the office until I left in 1973 .

A few months ago, I was asked when parking our car at the mall, if I could help the person I was parked next to, if I could help with a jump start. I did, but it wasn't until the engine started I really looked at the car, and was amazed to see it was a Datsun 260c. I asked the owner if I could have a look at it? which he was fine with. I said this car is in really good condition from the 1970s and now worth a bit of money. I also said, I used to work on Datsun and had not seen one in years.

So there you have it, you go out for a coffee to "Muffin Break" and land up drooling over some old car instead,..... amazing

[Graham Ritchie]

I did take one picture today afterwards, Yvonne wanted one, so she had to offer him some "space man fruit sticks" to get it , as long as he is interested and enjoying himself then I think that's great, they certainly learn to work as a team and seem to get on well together, both on the field and at school, even playing other teams they all seem to know each other with country rugby. Its nice that the coaches also offer prizes afterwards, to the opposing team as well, who "they think" a particular player deserve it, as well as handing out to there own, plus the highlight being eats and drinks afterwards but not the parents they are excluded , only the team players.

[Graham Ritchie]

Its great to see parents take some video "taken below" a couple of weeks ago today the weather was great, so we were out and about watching another one .

[Steve Klare]

-a nice night: Ride down to the Harbor after dinner, get some ice cream, take a walk out on the dock and watch the sun setting!

(I really love this time of year: it makes those times I had to bust our cars out of the snowdrifts seem somehow worth it!)

[Graham Ritchie]

A couple days late, although its winter at the moment the weather has been so far pretty good, last Saturday we were at a place called Dunsandel for the rugby. Afterwards it was back to there clubhouse for presentations drinks and eats that they put on .

Grandson Connor No 9 was very happy scoring a try, its great to see everyone getting on well together from both teams. and enjoying themselves, that's really what its all about, plus getting the odd win

[Chip Gelmini]

One of my other hobbies is swimsuit photography the goal at one time was to get my work published and hopefully work for sports illustrated that never happened but I continue to dabble in it over the years here we have a shot of Vanessa who shows the red white and blue and she's just super gosh darn adorable I thought it would be OK to put it here for Memorial Day weekend

Nikon FM2
Sunpak fill flash
kodachrome 64 slide film
summer 1992

[Steve Klare]

I saw him peddling kind of nesting the basket between his knees. Fortunately it's not that wide.

I think the biggest fault here is the seat: there is no back support and the only thing really holding him in place is his grip on the handlebars. If he loses that he'll lose control of the thing and maybe fall off too.

(If my office chair disappears, I know exactly where I'll go looking!)

I have to (-maybe even grudgingly) admire the creativity he's shown here.
-maybe even admit if I'm there sometime at very late hours and nobody is looking, maybe I'll take a ride myself!
,

Back Support is Essential!

[Brian Fretwell]

That would certainly smash my knees!!! Not even a recumbent bike as seen in Brainstorm, the worst of both worlds.