Another item ticked off the "Bucket List".

In July 2009, and again in November of that year, my boss very kindly allowed me to take his 2005 Holden Monaro CV8Z - the last iteration of the model - away for the weekend.
The first trip was to Bonny Hills near Port Macquarie and the second was a drive up to paradise - also known as Yamba - on the far north coast of NSW.

When I returned from that first weekend I asked that if ever he were to contemplate selling the car to please let me know first so I could sell my children and pets for medical experiments in order to raise the finances to make the purchase!

Very recently the opportunity came up to buy the Monaro and I am delighted to say that it now resides in my garage; the children and pets are fine and medical science will have to do without them.

I have really liked the Holden Monaro ever since this reincarnation of the 1960s/1970s GM-H icon was first mooted (it was a "concept" design) back in 1998 at the Sydney Motor Show, knowing that of all my dream cars it was the one most likely to be fulfilled. Ferraris, Lamborghinis, E-Type Jaguars and their ilk had a snowball's chance in Hell of ever sitting in my driveway, but there was always a possibility that the Monaro could one day satisfy my desire to own it.

What makes the pleasure even greater is the fact that it is the CV8Z and the cherry on top of the cake is that it is in "Fusion", the striking metallic gold/orange livery and black/gold upholstery. There are only (approx) 250 of this combination.

The "Zed" was the Monaro's swan-song and had a limited run of (initially) 1,200 units. This was increased by another 400 units before GM-H closed the production line in December 2005.

It's a fabulous machine and I'm tickled pink to be fortunate in finally owning one - this one in particular.

And they're hitting us with a "Carbon Tax".....?

This makes whatever we Australians will push into the atmosphere over the next 100 years look piddling by comparison.........(Click on for larger image).

Have a look at these images from the Boston Globe "Big Picture" and, when finished with the Chilean volcano, they have a bunch of pix of the Icelandic volcano that you can be impressed by, as well.

Now, would Julia Gillard and her henchmen/women, and all the advocates of a Carbon Tax, please explain to me one more time just how it will benefit we Aussies in particular and the planet in general?