MooN

Plenty of people have high IQ but can't be allowed out in public unaccompanied...

I'm not sure that being certifiably insane doesn't count as cheating due to unfair advantage, so for me Marcel is out. I think Six's Van reports take the biscuit, so I'm going to nominate @Six30

I'm going to nominate @Sir Fallsalot. Despite disparaging comments from certain quarters about his camera skills, when he does do a ride report its always good, he does some really sketchy shit on his bike and always writes with humour, be it a ride report or a work anecdote. He also always replies with useful info in the workshop bit.

I still have vivid memories of the first bike trip I organised to the uk with 4 or 5 mates from here. We visited my parents, my mum cooked and we had hours of fun trying to explain "Toad in the Hole" ( Le crapaud dans le trou) before moving on to cheesecake, which is neither cake mor cheese...

there's no meat in a mince pie Marcel.

Paris ( which doesn't really count as part of France and the south west mostly

@Tango, any round your way?

I'm sure there are some Bob, in the midi or dordogne I imagine where the big Brit ex-pat communities are / were.

no, thank God. qctuqlly I think there's a "comptoir Irlandais" in Dijon where N01 daughter buys the occasional pot of marmite, or gets me a packet of custard creams from time to time.

ca't get either mince pies or Christmas pudding here, the French just cqn't get their heads round them. They all seem to eat oysters for Christmas, along with other seafood.

that's a Folland Gnat, the Red arrows flew them till the late 70's I think. Apart from the GIss ( General Impression, Size and Shape) Pedro's already mentioned thegiveaway clues... the most obvious being wing placement. No I'm not a plane nerd, but spent my school days surrounded by RAF kids who talked planes 24/7 and like most useless information, I seem to have retained much of it

I'm sure you can Pete, what with Brexit making stirling stronger and worth more than ever... Oh, wait a minute...

24th drive to oxford 25th meet up with the AP's ( Aged Parents) on Christmas day at Church which will make their dreams come true ( yes I'm a vicar's son) and thence on to sisters for Lunch, from there on and untill we drive home on the 29th, it's anybodies guess.

minus 6 here too this morning, but just a deep frost, no snow.

Despite having been nearly dying from man flu all day, I have just been ouside in the dark and cold replacing a headlight bulb in Mrs Moon's car, The twins are now decorating the Christmas tree, helped by the cat... this sight has cheered me up no end as watch the cat systematically pulling down, braking or generally destroying everything the girls try and do "Bah Humbug, to all of it!"

yeah, okay, but me knowing that would suggest that I actually read youroriginal post.

I shall be driving to the UK on the 24th and not back till the 30th so won't be able to vote in the toty / moty stakes, ( unless of course someone wants to give me a large sum of money to use my vote in which case I could possibly log on from my phone...)

Today I am mostly hiding inside, it's firkin freezing outside and trying to snow a little. I also have a flare up of sinusitis so I can't breth and my head hurts. You should all feel sorry for me and and send me chocolat bars in the post to meke me feel better...

Clockwise or anticlockwise?

if it's Dainese, it's a fox, not a wolf... just sayin' like.

The Blade 1000 LTX ABS is around 15,000€ here https://www.tgb-motor.fr/quad-blade-1000-ltx-abs

it's a TGB Blade 1000LTX, the light bar is an add on extra. The company I work for import and distribute a dozen or so makes of motorcycles, quads, and SSV's. We don't sell to the general public but supply dealers. The machines arrive packed down in special pallets. some dealers put them together themselves so we simply import and distribute. Some dealers want the machines to be delivered assembled and ready to ride, so we have a workshop that unpacks and puts them together, the logistics departement then does the despatching. We also have a repair workshop mostly repairing engines or whole machines that are returned to us either because the dealer can't or won't do the work themselves, or because, in some cases, we have sent a replacement part or engine and the damaged one is returned to us, in which case it will be repaired and returned to stock. I collate and format all warranty requests ( i don't decide what gets acceptedunder warranty or not) translate them into english and transmit them to the relevant maker. I then translate their reponses back into frog for the company and, where neccessary, provide further information or photos or whatever. I'm officially an " after sales technicien (warranties)" As my office opens onto the repairs workshop, I get to play from time to time too.

Taiwanese that one. believe it or not thay are head and shoulders above the chinese in the quality stakes, more professional and easier to deal with too, but then my experience is still very limited in this domaine

well with my new job, at least I know I'll always be able to get home if it snows...