Hi Everyone! Firstly, a huge apology to all club members from a grovelling editor …
The July newsletter was compiled (just needed final tweaking) when time caught
up with me and so the newsletter (in electronic form) left Cape
Town with us on our trip to Tanzania! Little did I know that in true African style,
anything relating to electronic and in particular email or internet service,
was to prove more rickety than 3rd bridge in Moremi (a wobbly wooden
pole and branch constructed affair known to collapse with little warning …). The result was that the July newsletter was not successfully mailed. In addition the August newsletter did not
materialise either, courtesy of a month long holiday (heeha … ) and serious
work commitments … To make up for this sad state of affairs, here is a bumper
edition! Enjoy! Sooooo … Rub your eyes, shake your head, flap your ears, make that
first cup of coffee a really strong one, or do whatever it is you do to
wake-up! Due to the worldwide energy
crisis, compounded by the Chinese development explosion (and Olympic Games
success) and closer to home the Eskom situation etc, our lifestyle is under
threat! Hands-up whom of you can attest that the pressure applied to households
from all angles – fuel price increases, spiralling food costs, interest rate
hikes, particularly if you are paying off a mortgage bond or have financed that
new Landy, is making it difficult to get the financial ends to tie –up at the
end of the month! If these kinds of
issues sound foreign to you because you are able to pay everything out of your
backpocket, then please excuse me while I address the mere mortals amongst us … What all these issues have in common is that it now takes careful
planning to go on that weekend outing with the CLRC and mind you, it takes even
more really careful planning to make that 2 or 3 in a row!!! I do realise that there are other reasons as
well, but it does seem to reflect in the number of members not renewing their
membership for 2008.
(The club currently has 137 fully paid up members). So, if you have ideas on how to get us all out there on club outings
without it costing us an arm and a leg, or if you have ideas for closer to home
travels or maybe day runs etc, let us know please. For instance, the flower season is upon us! Safety Message for the month: For those who were in the fortunate position to go travelling during the
June – July school holidays, there were a couple of issues that I noticed on
the roads: Firstly, for those with
school going children, the school holidays was a short 2 week stint, implying a
shorter trip in terms of distance and time than the traditional winter
vacation. So, proper planning was
paramount to avoid rushing things! Secondly, have you ever checked that all up weight once the Landy is
fully loaded including fuel, water and the last minute stuff that goes into the
fridge etc? You might receive a rude
shock if you pop in to a local business that operates a weighbridge! Do you know what the maximum allowable mass
is for your particular vehicle? We saw
many overloaded vehicles and subsequently many vehicles that broke down … Were you part of the statistics? (Sounds like a glomail advert for a repair
kit …) On a more serious note. If you are in a position to assist fellow
club members (Neil and Angie Kinrade) in any way, please do
so. Their daughter Amy is suffering from
a rare kidney disease which has put major strain on the family. They take turns to spend time at the hospital
and as a result things at home have been a little hectic.
Call for contributions: Please, all reports/submissions are most
welcome. Remember this is our magazine. Note that the deadline is the 20th of each month. If anyone has any relevant photographs,
please forward for inclusion in the newsletter. Till next month, enjoy the last of the
winter cold … |