More in the Veskanda chain of events.

Here's that Veskanda again. After it left K & A it went to a motor body works, which just happened to be near to a well known automotive book seller, before going to Norm's. Those hotrods bring me to another matter, a good subject for my next post.

Zinfandel

Zinfandel is a red wine grape seldom seen in Australia (well, from my limited outlook anyway). I know that it is very popular in California but I have thought that the average Californian's taste in wine was a bit like the average Queenslander's (I did say AVERAGE so don't get too excited you West Coast and banana bending wine buffs) so hadn't given much thought to it. Some friends of ours have a winery over at Bethany and some time back they put in 3 rows of Zinfandel vines. Well, I really love it. You can't really drink just Merlot all the time. I guess, if you're anything like me, you go through stages and the Merlot stage has lasted for a while.

JB's white wines are great too and included in their white varieties are Pinot Blanc and Clairette. I know I'm getting old because I savour and appreciate everything I do these days and drinking wine is no exception. Each sip seems to go to the back of my mouth, trickle off the sides of my tongue and slowly it is consumed and I love it. Mind you the same goes for Cooper's Stout. I find that everything I have enjoyed in my life is now much more appreciated as it happens. Even farting seems satisfying and cleaning out a cupboard and getting rid of junk, there's a bit of enjoyment in that, I must do some more.

Press release - Tom Drewer - 16th July, 2009

Hot off the press. Click to enlarge.

A drive in the countryside.

Last Sunday's run to Charleston began at the coffee shop in Burnside Village and wound through the hills on a scenic tour to the final destination. Jane and I live on the other side of the Barossa so elected to meet everyone at the pub rather that go down to Adelaide and then come back out again. We had a nice drive too, a very nice drive. There is so much to see on the way and there are so many ways to go. I don't think we will ever run out of alternatives. Might be time for a President's Trial soon. We travelled from Angaston to Eden Valley to Springton to Mount Pleasant to Birdwood to Mount Torrens to Charleston which is not surprising but getting to Angaston saw us going through Ebenezer, Stockwell and Penrice and going home we went via Moculta and Truro. This is the Charleston Hotel. It's a good little pub and our hosts were very nice. We'll have to go there again I reckon.

And here is Norm getting a charge.

New link.

You might notice a link to the Bolwell photos on Photobucket which is worth a look because on page 2 is the Mark 7 roadster that just sold on ebay arriving at its new Brisbane home.

At last!

I can't let last weekend's F1 win go by without expressing my delight. We've all been expecting it and at last it's happened. Mark Webber's first pole and first win as well. Now that the ice is broken, there'll be more where that came from.

It was a big weekend for Queanbeyan as Mark's classmate from schooldays, Brad Haddin was hitting up a century at Cardiff at about the same time as Mark was qualifying - Mark being glued to the TV watching the test match before stepping into the car.

Anyway, it seems to me that Mark certainly has his head screwed on the right way whether it's F1, mountain bike riding or arranging his finances that he's applying himself to. Switching his driving contract from US dollars to Euros is a good example. His 8 or 9 million dollar deal is middle of the road for Formula 1 I believe. Maybe it'll go up next year. Mark realises that the career of an F1 driver is short (like a footballer) so he is into saving. He no doubt thinks about the tough times in 1996 when he first moved to the UK. Van Diemen recruited him from Australia but in order to race he had to find his own sponsopship. His road car then was a very secondhand 1.1 litre Ford Fiesta. These days he doesn't need to buy his own road car, he is supplied with a Renault Megane Renaultsport 230 Team R26.

He does own a motorbike though, a Yamaha. This is despite his dad, who owns a motorbike shop, declaring that while he's alive Mark's not to get a motorbike. He doesn't want him to hurt himself. I've been through that when one of my boys got his first motorbike despite my protests. His comment - "Dad, you had some pretty good bikes when you were my age". My answer - "Well, that's different". Not a very good argument is it?

Ultimate road car

Remember a few posts ago we talked about a Veskanda for the road? This is actually car number 3 leaving the house of Clemente after a fair bit of chassis and body work.

Spycam 2

Here's the latest at the Clemente 2 secret workshop. I wonder if that sign under the car has a message.

1935 SS1 Airline saloon

When I was really young, like in my teens, there was a wreck of a car way down the back of a large block of land and under a tree that sat there for years and years. It was on Sunnyside Road, up in the twisty end, the Glen Osmond end. I bet there's no vacant blocks around there these days. The car was an Airline bodied SS. I'm sure others would remember it. Anyway I really loved the shape and went to the trouble of tracking down the landowner who wasn't all that aware of the car's existance and didn't want the old wreck anyhow. Unfortunately I didn't have the wherewithall or the determination to get it out of there I guess. If I remember correctly it had bushes growing up through the chassis and it wouldn't have been too easy towing an old car with flat tyres on my bike anyway. Over the years I managed to get over it all but the car sat there for a very long time. What got me thinking about it was this car below. Rainsfords have it for sale for $150,000. I wonder if it's the same one. Could be. They didn't make too many with the Airline body.

Mark 7 pictorial

Here are a few more shots of Phil and Rita's Mark 7 taken outside the Charleston Hotel yesterday. This is, of course, "the car that Sam built" in NSW. Sam's dad bought it for him when he was eight years old I believe and the meticulous build took 18 years. Eventually, with Sam now in his twenties, the Bolwell reluctantly had to go to provide a deposit on "the first home". Sam's loss is Phil and Rita's gain and they're loving it.
Picture 1 shows Rita, Sarah, Norm and John (L) behind the car. 2. Front view shows the low stance of the car.

3. I recognise that spoiler. It was actually designed to fit the exact shape of the Nagari front but it doesn't look too bad on the Mark 7 either. I almost fell over the mould for it in the shed when I got home.

4. Attention to detail is just as amazing under the bonnet as well.

5. The leather upholstery has a nice feel to it.

What's in a name?

This article in "The Age" on the upcoming MX2 has sparked that "age" old question regarding the similar Japanese and Aboriginal words with exactly the same meaning with the reference to the Mazda Nagare coming from the Japanese phrase "to flow".
Peter Garvin writes:-
"John & Tony,
I know this has been discussed before, just what are the origins of the name 'Nagari', was it Aboriginal or Japanese or purely coincidence? Just what is the origin of the name, and how did Campbell and Graeme arrive at the name?
Peter."
Campbell is really a bit vague about it but reckons they found the word in an Aboriginal phrase book that happened to be lying around the house and thought it sounded pretty good but can't recall where the book has got to. Over time, various Nagari fans have rushed about looking for books of Aboriginal terms with what success I'm not sure. The reference to "Aboriginal phrases and words" is fairly vague to me anyway, as there is no one Aboriginal language but literally heaps of them. The debate continues.

Lunch at the Charleston Hotel

What a great day it was. So many people turned up. It was good to see new members Rita and Phil with their very smart looking Mark 7 V8. Jenny Young won the raffled Bolwell boxed keyring. I hope she puts it to good use. Maybe she'll get her own Bolly if she can't wait for Beven to finish his. Here's a few photos from today. 1.Phil in the Mark 7 looking pretty pleased with himself.

2. Same car, different angle.

3. The Mark 7s of Ron and Brian respectively.

4. You'd think this bloke would buy a new battery wouldn't you?

5. A couple of gangsters off to hold up a road house in an unmarked car.