News that Cuba is to lift restrictions on importing cars built after 1959 came as somewhat of a surprise to me. Any visitor there can't help but notice that most cars are - as in the rest of the world - Toyotas; they're just not the ones that anyone takes photos of. The old cars are clearly there as a tourist attraction and I can confirm that there is something very memorable about driving through Havana in an open top classic car with salsa music on the radio and warm wind blowing through where one's hair would normally be. The version that I got from our driver was that far from being relics dating from before the 1959 revolution most of them were actually fairly recent imports from the US via Mexico, specifically brought in for touristic purposes. I can't help thinking that this news story is more spin than substance.
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| At the age of thirty-seven she knew she'd found forever |
And so regrettably we once again turn to those who have left us. Any readers for whom watching the 1966 world cup in grainy black and white was a key formative experience (and on reflection that's perhaps where my otherwise inexplicable interest in North Korea comes from) will feel keenly the sad news of Eusebio's death. What a shot that man had.
And then Phil Everly. They didn't write it, theirs wasn't the best version (step forward Gram Parsons), but one feels obliged to mark his passing by printing the lyrics. That's the way it rolls in the world of wargaming blogs.
Love hurts, love scars
Love wounds and mars
Any heart not tough
Nor strong enough
To take a lot of pain, take a lot of pain
Love is like a cloud, holds a lot of rain
Love hurts
Love hurts
I'm young, I know
But even so
I know a thing or two
I've learned from you
I've really learned a lot, really learned a lot
Love is like a stove, burns you when it's hot
Love hurts
Love hurts
Some fools rave of happiness
Blissfulness, togetherness
Some fools fool themselves, I guess
But they're not fooling me
I know it isn't true, know it isn't true
Love is just a lie made to make you blue
Love hurts
Love hurts
Love hurts
Love wounds and mars
Any heart not tough
Nor strong enough
To take a lot of pain, take a lot of pain
Love is like a cloud, holds a lot of rain
Love hurts
Love hurts
I'm young, I know
But even so
I know a thing or two
I've learned from you
I've really learned a lot, really learned a lot
Love is like a stove, burns you when it's hot
Love hurts
Love hurts
Some fools rave of happiness
Blissfulness, togetherness
Some fools fool themselves, I guess
But they're not fooling me
I know it isn't true, know it isn't true
Love is just a lie made to make you blue
Love hurts
Love hurts
Love hurts
I am ancient enough to have been at Goodison Park in 1966 for Brazil vs Hungary, Brazil vs Portugal (Coluna kicked Pele off the park very early) and Portugal vs N Korea - I cherish the memory, and I am pretty sure that the actual games were in colour - the real people weren't grainy monochrome, as my kids appear to believe.
ReplyDeletePhil Everly represents a slice of my youth as well - Walk Right Back and Lucille were my personal faves.
Mexican restorations of vintage Caddies etc - I had a friend who ran a business in California, providing restored cars of this type to order - all the actual work was done under contract in Mexico, in little backstreet garages. My friend said the Mexicans were ideal for this kind of work, since they were more naturally skilful and worked harder - interesting thing for an American to say - so much for the stereotype of Pancho sleeping under a tree. This, of course, is why there is a big, impressive line of Japanese factories outside Tijuana - the Japs think highly of Mexican workers too. My point? - merely that if someone was going to restore or rebuild old Detroit machinery, Mexico would be the logical place to do it.
I'm not sure ancient is the word, but I suspect there were a lot of not much younger people watching or listening to the news over the last couple of days wondering who on earth these people were and why they were featuring so highly in the bulletins.
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