Austarion

i am lucky enough to live in a great part of Australia. Today I had the priveledge of driving my Starion from the blue mountains to Berowra and back. For those of you wo know the area I drove through Galston gorge and the the back way through Cattai. It was one of those great drives, the car was perfect, the music was great and everything was right with the world. I had just stopped on the way to visit the road i grew up in. I am 48. I drove down my rural road and saw the dairy ( now a horse paddock ) where i used to shoot rabbits with my air rifle as a 14 year old boy. It was kinda sad to see my old house where my parents used to live ( my dad is long dead ) and i guess I longed for a simpler time. I then turned the staz for home, cranked up the tunes and just enjoyed two years of a hard rebuild and loved the exhaust note, the boost, the roads.
Life is short people, enjoy every minute of it, dont get hung on the little shit. When it all gets too much go for drive, for me my car takes me back to a simpler time when cars where as my starion is. Its all good. Life is good.

....sounds like a perfect drive with a close to perfect Starion. Nice to hear you are enjoying the fruits of your labour! :)

Well said Darryl, I couldn't have put it any better myself :beer
I'm a wee bit older than you and can remember simpler times when we didn't have computers,jet planes,Ipods,laptops,TV,pacman, mobile phones,credit cards, teller machines ,speed traps, radial ply tyres,fuel injection,5,6 &7 speed gearboxes, disc brakes, night clubs ,pubs that shut at 10pm and when you went out at 7 and were tucked up in bed by midnight and when the coppers were BIG units who would give you a smack around the ear or a boot up the bum if you were backchatty, disrespectful and deserved it
I think life was far less stressful then ooh I almost forgot BEFORE THE PILL :D

Darryl, you're now entering the time of your life when you can reflect & appreciate what was. There are many and varied great times still ahead of you that you will treasure. One of those you have just experienced.
I'm 10 years older than you, & living life to the max. The old saying that 'life begins at 40' was certainly true for me.

panda.

OK, this must now be the official old codger thread so I am jumping in boots and all.

I agree with all the above. I am now 50 and life was definitely simpler 'back then' and I think a lot of younger people have missed out on some things that we older folk got to enjoy and thats a pity for them. That said there are some fantastic younger people out there (particularly on this forum) who's company and opinion I value greatly.

Life IS there to be enjoyed. Personally I try to reflect at the end of each day and say to myself "today was a good day because..... " and identify at least one thing, no matter how small, that was good about today.

"Life" can get any of us down and lead us to dwell on negatives. Our latter years have been earned, we should appreciate them.

Maybe one day we should organise a Austarion Old Codgers BBQ and just hang out and share our respective journeys. I'd be up for it.

rofl rofl All you young wippersnappers calling yourselves OLD I'm only 35 especially when on the track and the flag drops :beer

WANTSOM wrote: Maybe one day we should organise a Austarion Old Codgers BBQ and just hang out and share our respective journeys. I'd be up for it.

First I laughed, then I felt a little sad (49 this year), then I laughed again - count me in for the Barbie.
Just make it in the warmer months; my knees, ankles, hips don't take too kindly to the cold these days rofl

I go the same kick this weekend when I started the next round of upgrades for my JA; always feeding that need to go that little bit quicker

When I first got my license, and gas was cheap ($1.25 a gallon!!) I'd just drive, and drive... and drive... no destination, just exploring and enjoying the open road.

I still like to do that these days, but my time is filled. I definitely know the feeling of how a spectacular drive can really put life in perspective.

-Robert

seeing all you young oldies want a barbie get together to reminisce about the good old days you are welcome to come to sunny Qld next January to celebrate my 72nd birthday :D :beer

i love the way these threads move. I would not change a thing about my life. Getting older is great in some regards. you are more settled, you know who you are and where you are going. Life was soooo simple when I was a kid as it was for some of you around my age. I agree Rad 100% life was easy without the net etc. That being said I love technology. When I was a young man if you copped a feel of a tit you were doing well, If you felt her up you were really pushing the boundaries. I am sad for young people today with how freely available sex is and how they treat it like a recreation sport with no regard for love for that person. My 21 year old apprentice drills everything that walks and they WANT it just as much as him, threesomes, foursomes etc etc. Sure it all sounds like a great fantasy to any redblooded guy but the reality is so different ....and sad.
As for swearing ( and trust me please I am no prude on either langauage or sex ) I cant believe how even the young women talk these days.
Thanks heaps for all your inputs, its great to know I am not the only old fart on here. And I agree its great to have the younger guys here as well. Often they have shown a greater level of maturity than I have here and i admire them a lot. I dont envy them having to go down the sometimes difficult roads us older guys have been down. Cheers to you all, I wish you were closer for that bbq.