Whole Lada Love*

23Mar10

(posted by stuartgrant)

We love the Lada.

This is a Lada:

The Lada is a Russian-built, Soviet-era car “for the people”. They are famously simple under the bonnet, which is a good thing since they are also infamously unreliable. Dave has often jibed that they are the perfect car to drive if you’re looking to meet people – since you’ll almost certainly break down at some stage and need to ask for help!

There are still thousands of Ladas driven around Bulgaria, despite the fact that they are no longer made (except in Egypt, apparently) and most are getting quite old. Like many other Communist cars, their simple charm is somehow quite charming. We wish we’d been able to buy one and drive it around Bulgaria, but alas, they are becoming something of a collectors’ item and aren’t that cheap!

This is how you spell Lada in Cyrillic:

Ladas are very useful:

Here are some posing as taxis, police cars (though not in high-speed chases, I suspect), utes and, importantly, 4WDs!

Ladas come in many colours:

Don’t think that just because they were Communist-made that all Ladas are boring blue or beige!

Some Ladas are well looked-after, some are not:

—

And that’s about it. We just thought it was appropriate to share some of our Lada love with you all.

Take care,

Stu (and Elly).

* – Stu wishes to apologise for this pun.

Tags: , ,

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010 at 5:19 pm and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

14 comments so far for “Whole Lada Love*”

Mum Grant says on

24Mar 2010 at 1:03 am :


Love it! Especially yr photo collage!
Methinks there’s a mega dose of irony here…
Love mum xxx (only 13 sleeps!!)

Humphrey says on

24Mar 2010 at 1:16 am :


That’s a lot of Lada’s! You should sent this post post to Top Gear. I can envisive an outrageous challenge involving Lada’s, Haskovo, & James May’s spirits being crushed.

I remember back when I was living in Chudleigh, one of my friends dad bought himself a Lada Niva (A white version of the 4×4 that you have) Somebody must have loved Lada’s as much as you guys to have imported one to Australia — never-lone Chudleigh :-P

Humphrey says on

24Mar 2010 at 1:16 am :


or “envisage” even?

stuartgrant says on

24Mar 2010 at 8:23 am :


Actually Humf, according to Wiki (haha), Ladas were imported into Australia until 1996! (Actually, the details say that they were imported until 1994, but it took them two years to sell the last of the stock… imagine that!?).

I’d buy one.
Cheers
Stu.

Dada says on

24Mar 2010 at 8:52 am :


The name Lada (what does it mean by the way?) has inspired me to change my name from Dad to Dada (Dad – R, get it?)

Humphrey says on

24Mar 2010 at 9:15 am :


There are lots of dad jokes been made on this post… So you buy a lada when you get back to aus!

stuartgrant says on

24Mar 2010 at 9:26 am :


#Phil: the name Lada is “derived from the ancient Slavic god of marriage and love”. I had to look that up.

Apparently it’s a girls’ name in Russia and the Ukraine. The male equivalent must be “Lad”, I suppose. :P (Another d-joke for you, Humf).

#Mum – not as sarcastic as you might think. We actually do think Ladas are cool!

Dada says on

24Mar 2010 at 1:24 pm :


I truly would love my own Lada
I’d even trade in my old Fada
Oh I’d be such a clown
Back in old Launcestown
When I go shopping for spares with my Mada

SallyLouise says on

25Mar 2010 at 1:19 am :


I never LOL, but I’m actually considering it at this point…

Mr Rainbird, Mr Murray, you are too funny!

So funny, in fact, that I’ve completely forgotten what it was I was going to post. That happens a lada lately.

Peter Grant says on

26Mar 2010 at 5:27 am :


Stu my son – never apologise for puns. Just get used to it, you are your father’s son, and it’s in the genetic makeup as well as in the nurture. Think of it as the dad equivalent of mother’s milk, to whit:

You were brought up with a larder
Well stock-ed by your farder
Avoiding puns is harder
Than peeling mashed potarter

(Sorry – Phil inspired me, in a sick kind of way!)

SallyLouise says on

27Mar 2010 at 12:28 am :


Sorry, Dad, are you equating breastfeeding with comedic education? That’s a bit of a stretch! Does passing on a penchant for puns make you hungry, thirsty, tired and give you sore nipples?! Do you have to wear a special bra? (P.S. liked the verses.)

And yes, Stu. You have turned into a version of Dad. It’s lovely. :D

Peter Grant says on

27Mar 2010 at 8:19 am :


Ah Sal – an interesting argument. Your female sibling, your mother and I cogitated over your comment today at lunch. We concluded that your equation may, with all due respect, be subject to robust semantic challenge. While you make a good point from the perspective of one who is daily – indeed nightly – involved on the (literal) feeding frontline, a close reading of my comment will demonstrate that I was actually comparing verbal (and arguably comedic) education with milk, rather than with the entire process of breastfeeding. Far be it from me to compare the mere passing on of pun-ability to the great and far-too-little-heralded practice in which you are currently involved with my felicitous grandson.

With respect and admiration,

your father

PS – thanks for the compliment at the end – double :-)

Dada says on

27Mar 2010 at 10:51 am :


Is 12 comments a record?

stuartgrant says on

27Mar 2010 at 10:13 pm :


Only 12? :P No, I’m afraid not. We got close to 20 for the Blog Census post!