Obviously you need a new mirror then as that one aint working … 
raymundo:
Obviously you need a new mirror then as that one aint working …
Classic.
They say that you are old when you look in the mirror and you see your father.
This morning I am sure that I saw my grandad. 
muckles:
Reef:
On the subject of feeling old though, Yes I am, compounded by the fact it’s my 47th birthday in 2 days and 50 is getting increasingly closerAs somebody who is now over 50, got to say I feel more at peace with myself than I ever have, not that I’ve given up, still chasing dreams, still want to achieve stuff and still not sure what I want to do when I grow up, but more confident about who I am and my own worth.
OK sometimes my body does remind me I’m not in my 20’s anymore and there is an old man looking at me in the mirror in the mornings, but he is a dam good looking old man.
Over 50!
A mere child!
I’ve been on the road since I came out of the army in '69, apart from a few years in engineering, then I retired early at 60, been doing night trunk ever since and I’m 74 this weekend.
Like many on here,did middle east from '75 to '86, and after that anything else is just a case of passing time, but as long as I keep passing the medical, I always want to see what’s over the next hill. The job I do now is just a paying hobby.
Got to Kamarno and cried.
Then the bloody clutch blew and limped home.F"“” Suzuki!!!
But a moment I will savour for the rest of my days.
Too all the friends I met over there both living and passed on
God bless you.You will live forever in my memory.
bestbooties:
muckles:
Reef:
On the subject of feeling old though, Yes I am, compounded by the fact it’s my 47th birthday in 2 days and 50 is getting increasingly closerAs somebody who is now over 50, got to say I feel more at peace with myself than I ever have, not that I’ve given up, still chasing dreams, still want to achieve stuff and still not sure what I want to do when I grow up, but more confident about who I am and my own worth.
OK sometimes my body does remind me I’m not in my 20’s anymore and there is an old man looking at me in the mirror in the mornings, but he is a dam good looking old man.
Over 50!
A mere child!
I’ve been on the road since I came out of the army in '69, apart from a few years in engineering, then I retired early at 60, been doing night trunk ever since and I’m 74 this weekend.
Like many on here,did middle east from '75 to '86, and after that anything else is just a case of passing time, but as long as I keep passing the medical, I always want to see what’s over the next hill. The job I do now is just a paying hobby.
Would be nice to meet up my man and shoot the breeze instead of listening to ■■■■■■■■ from some toerag,But really did cut me to see that bridge roll into sight.Could smell the diesel and ,dont know what you would call it,that buzz.
Gone now but was just good to drift back nearly 40 years and remember how it was.
Peace.
Going to get a better bike this year maybe a BMW R1000 and do the Londra camp outside Istanbul next year.
Love to see the old Turkish mechanic( or probably his grandson) that worked nights in the garage there.
Now if I got there I would be on my knees weeping.
What a soft old cretin I am becoming.
Maybe one day Bahgdad ?
Sod work just enjoy the memory of being a “middle east trucker”
Nothing holding me here anymore so what the hell.
Anybody up for it?
Reef:
[On the subject of feeling old though, Yes I am, compounded by the fact it’s my 47th birthday in 2 days and 50 is getting increasingly closer
I turned 50 last week! It only feels like yesterday I left high school - retirement and snuffing it is approaching faster than I wish it to!!!
Took the lorry in , to have a puncture repaired yesterday and it got me thinking back to my tyre fitting days.
It made me sweat just watching the bloke take the wheel off !!
I used to do it, day in ,day out (and nights) and think nothing of it but that was 35 years ago .
Don’t think I could do it now 
I had a flat on the other week 
I folded the sheets and tried to carry and chuck them on the back, jump up, and roll them out on load like I used to.
My head told me I still could and that I was still 25, my body told me otherwise, I just about needed bloody oxygen.
robroy:
I had a flat on the other week
I folded the sheets and tried to carry and chuck them on the back, jump up, and roll them out on load like I used to.
My head told me I still could and that I was still 25, my body told me otherwise, I just about needed bloody oxygen.
Its a ■■■■■ my man but there is comfort
I have “apprentises” that have the brain of a toad
I can run rings round these useless toerags
robroy:
I had a flat on the other week
I folded the sheets and tried to carry and chuck them on the back, jump up, and roll them out on load like I used to.
My head told me I still could and that I was still 25, my body told me otherwise, I just about needed bloody oxygen.
61 now and can still do 50 push ups in less than a minute.
Going for whacking some australian ■■■■■■■■ that wants to give me pain because I told his ugly “school” teacher wife that she is some self important jerk. Now Im going to whack this 40 year old SOB because I can.Sick of being told Im a "lesser " being because Im some prick that “rolls around under some truck” while this australian prick repairs some poor buggers shower.
Going to give this “man” some real pain
Bking:
robroy:
I had a flat on the other week
I folded the sheets and tried to carry and chuck them on the back, jump up, and roll them out on load like I used to.
My head told me I still could and that I was still 25, my body told me otherwise, I just about needed bloody oxygen.61 now and can still do 50 push ups in less than a minute.
Going for whacking some australian [zb] that wants to give me pain because I told his ugly “school” teacher wife that she is some self important jerk. Now Im going to whack this 40 year old SOB because I can.Sick of being told Im a "lesser " being because Im some prick that “rolls around under some truck” while this australian prick repairs some poor buggers shower.
Going to give this “man” some real pain
A bit rich bud tbf, from the guy who comes on here calling truck drivers worse than ■■■■ in most of his posts, simply because they drive a truck. 
Maybe you can explain the difference.
Bit of advice, take it or leave it, don’t really care.
Don’t make the mistake I did by thinking you are still 30, and setting yourself up to somebody much younger and fitter than yourself.
Luckily I blagged and bluffed a bit of bravado and confidence towards him, and faced it out, which lucky for me he believed, and he backed down, but in reality I’m thinking ‘’ ■■■■ me, I’m going to come second here’'.
Worth thinking about.
True enough but:
Whack the SoB first and keep whacking.
Because when I hit that mother I am not going to hold the punch Im going for the kill.
got to be done for my own self respect.
Know what I mean?
robroy:
Bking:
robroy:
I had a flat on the other week
I folded the sheets and tried to carry and chuck them on the back, jump up, and roll them out on load like I used to.
My head told me I still could and that I was still 25, my body told me otherwise, I just about needed bloody oxygen.61 now and can still do 50 push ups in less than a minute.
Going for whacking some australian [zb] that wants to give me pain because I told his ugly “school” teacher wife that she is some self important jerk. Now Im going to whack this 40 year old SOB because I can.Sick of being told Im a "lesser " being because Im some prick that “rolls around under some truck” while this australian prick repairs some poor buggers shower.
Going to give this “man” some real painA bit rich bud tbf, from the guy who comes on here calling truck drivers worse than [zb] in most of his posts, simply because they drive a truck.
Maybe you canBit of advice, take it or leave it, don’t really care.
Don’t make the mistake I did by thinking you are still 30, and setting yourself up to somebody much younger and fitter than yourself.
Luckily I blagged and bluffed a bit of bravado and confidence towards him, and faced it out, which lucky for me he believed, and he backed down, but in reality I’m thinking ‘’ [zb] me, I’m going to come second here’'.
Worth thinking about.
Why does one have to say in part in many posts say I don’t care what you think or take it how you want, can one not just give a opinion and stand by it without having to apologise within every the post it’s gets a bit over the top most times
Bking:
bestbooties:
Bking:
Goldfinger:
Wasn’t the world a different (better?) place back then…?Far better my friend far better.
Here,here.
Despite all the hardships,had many good times and met many nice people in the middle east 40 years ago,wouldn’t like to be there now!If I got the chance I would run tomorrow,Bahgdad was wonderful,Teharan blew my (zb) mind
Eastern Turkey was " amazing"
Just took my breath away
An absolute privelige to experience this.
I consider myself a lucky man
Like the story, that old straight 8 Gardner must have been hard work though.
Furthest east ive been is Turkey, that was with my old F7 (Lucky 7) on the visor, fully freighted to its max that was another one which was pretty hard work, 16 speed box worked to the max and foot always planted to the floor… 
Reef:
robroy:
Bking:
robroy:
I’ve often regretted not doing a Middle East trip when I once had the chance.
It was 1982, my own motor had took fire (mysteriously)
The firm I did traction for did runs over to Baghdad in pairs, one of their drivers had left or something, and I was offered the run, (brand new DAF 2800 with the air con unit on the roof) I had something on and didn’t bother…always wished I had done it ever since.I borrowed the DAF on it’s return, to do a UK run, I was going down the M6, bored stiff, saw a switch, got curious and switched it on, …then got covered in a thin white dust (Sahara sand) from the faulty air con unit.
It was something else my man
Yeh, maybe it was, but I wasn’t a mechanic then, and I aint now.
Come on then, just out of curiousity (and to put me out of my misery for the last 35 or so years
Switch on, unit on roof rumbling like [zb], sprayed with white chalky dust all over cab.
It was probably Limeyphils regular vehicle, so probably a stray kilo of Nose talc [wheres uk tramp when u need him, shaw he would no]
nightline:
robroy:
Bking:
61 now and can still do 50 push ups in less than a minute.
Going for whacking some australian [zb] that wants to give me pain because I told his ugly “school” teacher wife that she is some self important jerk. Now Im going to whack this 40 year old SOB because I can.Sick of being told Im a "lesser " being because Im some prick that “rolls around under some truck” while this australian prick repairs some poor buggers shower.
Going to give this “man” some real painA bit rich bud tbf, from the guy who comes on here calling truck drivers worse than [zb] in most of his posts, simply because they drive a truck.
Maybe you canBit of advice, take it or leave it, don’t really care.
Don’t make the mistake I did by thinking you are still 30, and setting yourself up to somebody much younger and fitter than yourself.
Luckily I blagged and bluffed a bit of bravado and confidence towards him, and faced it out, which lucky for me he believed, and he backed down, but in reality I’m thinking ‘’ [zb] me, I’m going to come second here’'.
Worth thinking about.Why does one have to say in part in many posts say I don’t care what you think or take it how you want, can one not just give a opinion and stand by it without having to apologise within every the post it’s gets a bit over the top most times
And that bothers you?..really ? 
Ok, Firstly…Old Bking doesn’t come across as the type who would listen to advice, but rather tell me to ‘shove it up my arse’ or something equally as polite.
Secondly…where exactly did I apologise?
Does that answer one’s question.
…
Conor:
Goldfinger:
Wasn’t the world a different (better?) place back then…?No it was crap and there is a whole bunch of selective amnesia going on if you think it was good.
there was more camaraderie in those days and drivers did actually help each other,nowadays they would probably just laugh at other drivers misfortunes
mushroomman:
raymundo:
Obviously you need a new mirror then as that one aint working …
They say that you are old when you look in the mirror and you see your father.
This morning I am sure that I saw my grandad.
anytime i look in the mirror theres a 23 year old dude looking back at me saying…fer christsake.what the hell happend to you…!!! or is it only me that sees him??