Cheers for 'Jersey'

[mburchill]

Hello everyone!

I just wanted to drop you all a line to say 'hello' and introduce meself - I'm one of your kin from across the sea. I live in a tiny town in New jersey, USA and there are quite a large number of us MINIiacs here in the states. I below to a (relatively) local club called PhillyMINI:
( http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/phillymini/)

I must say I'm definitely a bit jealous of you lot being able to jump in your cars and motor around Scotland whenever you want. I was up at the Isle of Skye about 2 years ago with my wife, Caroline, and we loved it. I was born in Scotland and was forcibly ripped from my homeland by parents who felt we would all be better off in the states (not!! - how would you all like to have George W. Bush as your ruler?) Anyway - we also drove through Glencoe and the highlands, Edinburgh and all around (tho' not in a MINI - in a Vauxhall :(

Anyway - cheers for now - and I'm with you all in spirit! :)

- - Michael

[Wul]

Welcome Michael - feel free to join in on the mayhem here on NMS!

We had a few of your countrymen over here at christmas time - there are a few dealers over here hire MINI's now so now you can come back over and experience the pleasure of Glencoe etc in a MINI :)

[Big Col]

Hi Michael. Welcome to NMS. Good to have you.

[mburchill]

Hey - Thanks Wul and Big Col!!....and thanks for the 'heads-up' on the MINI rental info. I will absolutely, positively do this when I return. Any details on where the dealers might be located? Near Glasow? - as that's where we'd probably be flying into...

- - m

[Wul]

Michael - i know mini have all sorts of brochures in the dealers now re renting a MINI (Eastern in Edinburgh do anyway) - if you go on to www.mini.co.uk and go to the dealer section you can find all the glasgow dealers there and their email addresses - drop them a line asking if they rent.

in fact here's the addresses:
mail@henrybros.mini-dealer.co.uk
mail@harryfairbairngiffnock.mini-dealer.co.uk
mail@douglaspark.mini-dealer.co.uk

:)

[Linda M]

Welcome to NMS Michael :)

I'm the opposite from you, I was born in Maryland Washington DC then a number of years later my folks went and decided to rip me away from my homeland back to Scotland. I am very annoyed they done that so I have hung onto my citizenship in the hope that my husband and I can move back one day.

In the meantime I find inner peace with my MINI :D:D:D

I do quite like Scotland though ;):clown:

[mburchill]

Hey Linda -

Well whadaya know?! - ain't that something? How old were you when you left the D.C. area? I was 2 when my mum and dad (and my sister as well naturally) moved to NJ. BTW, I ride in the annual 'Rolling Thunder' Memorial run every year...actually so does my wife. I ride a Triumph Daytona 1200 and she rides a Suzuki SV650. While living in DC, did you every see the downtown area with all those bikes? Last year there were 350,000 of us. Sounds like a bomber formation going overhead all day.

Anyway - I'll give your regards to D.C. when I'm down there next may. :)

Cheers - - Michael

P.S. - How do you like the JCW kit? It's a bit steep for my budget for now, but I was thinking of having the pulley swapped out with the 15% smaller one made by Helix. Total cost to have that done is $400 USD. JCW is about $4,300 USD....

[mburchill]

Thanks for the links, Wul - I'll have a look.

- - m

[macblob]

Always though there was something weird about u Linda :p:p

Hehehehehehe, runs away to hide.

Welcome to NMS Michael, enjoy the madness

[seany]

welcome to new mini scotland michael, me 2 have a JCW, i think i made the right choise.

[Willie M]

Welcome to NMS Michael, great to have you onboard. It'd certainly be great to see you over here one day, I'm sure more than a few of us would be happy to show you the sights :cool:

[Linda M]

Nice bikes Michael!!

My folks were in the States for about 16yrs and I was 5 when they came back home to Scotland. All my Dad's brothers and sisters emigrated to the States too so I have loads of relatives scattered all over the place. William and I have travelled a fair wee bit in the Sates but I've never managed to get round to going back to my birthplace but that'll be the next trip. My brother was 10 when we left and he's done the whole going back to the house we were born in etc. We're restricted for the time being as our dog is getting on in years and I won't leave him any more.

Now as for the JCW, cost me £3,800 (pounds) but I just LOVE it. It's a right little racing car now :cool: In fact you might have noticed but Willie just picked up his new JCW Cooper S today so now we have 2 in the family!! Think that says it all really :)

[mburchill]

Hi Guys -

Thanks for all the warm welcomes! - Willie & Linda, if you do come back to the states, let us know... Maybe we could hang out for a day or two? Depending on where you fly into, we're about 45 minutes west of Newark Airport in the rolling hills of western new jersey (good roads!). When I come back to scotland, probably not for a year or two, I would love to look you all up and hopefully schedule a trip back to coincide with one of your events. Caroline and I would be quite happy to rent a "Winston stand-in" for a couple days! - maybe we could rent a JCW MCS, as that way I could do a proper test-drive :)

Anyway - take care - and I'll talk to you all soon.

Cheers - - michael