JANUARY EVENTS

Breakfast at Mahoney State Park, January 9th at 9:30 A.M.

Ice Cream with Her Majestyıs Royal Nebraska Patrol at I Canıt Believe Its Really Yogurt, 70th and Van Dorn in Lincoln Thursday, January 14th at 7:30 P.M.

Fish at the Union Bar Friday, January 29th, 1999 at 7:30 P.M.

Son Dave attends school in London and as his schedule did not allow a trip home for Christmas a visit was in order. The significant other advised me that theater, museums, historical sites, dining and shopping would be the priorities. But I know fully well from experience that early A.M. starts do not happen

in this family if there is any way they can be avoided. If I was up and out the door by 7:30 A.M. and back by 11:00 visits to motor bookstores, Mini parts centers, and new car dealers could be mine.

While there are many Mini parts suppliers in the UK, I decided to visit the Mini Spares Centre Ltd. because they are a British Motor Heritage Approved supplier and they have the nicest ad in the London area Yellow Pages. They are located north central just off the Tube at Arnos Grove. I got there a little before their 9:00 A.M. opening which worked to my advantage as it gave me plenty of time to view and appreciate their window and new body shell displays. I was let in promptly at 9:00 A.M., given one of their very comprehensive and well illustrated catalogs, and afforded a very comfortable chair to review their offerings. My interests centered on special tools, parts I was sure to need (and have difficulty obtaining), information, (references), and future purchases (things I would get Dave to bring later). I ended up getting boot

script, the suspension cone compressor tool, rear suspension cones, a tie rod/ball joint remover, their detailed mechanical and body parts catalog, and original Mini Cooper Owners Manual, carb air cleaners, several original advertisement posters, miscellaneous bits and pieces, and a copy of Mini Magazine (might have been my best purchase). As I was later to find out the cone compressor tool created a lot of interest at the security inspection stations at Gatwick Airport. To get the Value Added Tax (VAT) refunded on the Mini parts (as these parts were leaving the UK) it was necessary to pack the parts in the carry-on luggage. This meant I would get a lot of attention at each inspection station. The final check prior to boarding the aircraft included a body search which I could have done without. Mini Magazine contains a lot of commercial