Contrary to our previous statement. I'd like to assure everyone that we're not going to die on this trip. I hope this assurance doesn't take away from the entertainment.

Wednesday 27 June 2007

Sump guards

Glastonbury - what an awesome event, but I'm very glad I didn't take Hyacinth along. I think that amount of mud could have been the death of her.

Instead she took a visit to Queen Street Motors (Taunton's finest car fixing up establishment), for further inspection prior to the attachment of a sump guard, which we had been relaibly informed was an essential addition for the wilds of Central Asia. However, Mr Mechanic (convenient name given his job) decided that actually a sump guard wasn't what we were after. In fact all we need to do is fill our tyres with foam and it's job done Mongolia here we come.

One of the trials of knowing nothing about cars is that each bit of advice sounds very good. Firstly, Mr Pro-Sump Guard puts forward his case, to which I nod in agreement, not wishing to challenge his greater expertise then Mr Mechanic comes along with a counter argument that seems equally reasonable. Now I'm utterly confusecd, know even less about cars, and don't really know what to do.

Any advice welcome.

Just by the by, did I mention how good Glastonbury was?

Tuesday 12 June 2007

Lists

Rally activity should now be firmly at the top of my list of priorities, with less than 6 weeks remaining and no tax, insurance, driving licence, vaccinations or sun cream it's time for some serious action...


Unfortunately, life keeps throwing metaphorical spanners in. A 24 pub crawl last Saturday made light work of a perfectly good two day break from the slave trade in which I currently operate and, with Glastonbury only a few days away, I'm seeing some further write-offs in the free hours to launch column.


I am, at this stage, sensing panic from our host of regulars. However, fret not. As Mr Benjamin Thompson will tell you, all of life's problems can be carefully managed through the production of a few simple lists.

The real beauty of lists is that all you need is a pen and paper. Meanwhile fitting a sump guard requires two steel bars, a sheet of steel, four bolts and a welding torch. I know which I'd rather do. And having written a list you get the same sense of achievement that you've stepped closer to your goal. You'll feel more organised and on top of the task ahead, whilst, to use the sump guard example again, you're only going to feel tired and probably a bit dirty.

As such, I have carefully crafted three lists this weekend, so that I now feel perfectly in control of the situation, and I haven't needed to move from the sofa. The Rally preparation is in safe hands.

Tuesday 5 June 2007

Left Lion Interview

Attached is the link to the Left Lion article, many thanks to Jon Rouston alround good bloke and fantastic photographer.

http://www.leftlion.co.uk/articles.cfm/id/1810

In addition to being a part time journo, he's also got his own photography company if anyone needs wedding photos or such like I would strongly recommend giving him a call. He also knows an awful lot about the failings of a market based economy if anyone is researching a thesis on anarcho-syndicalism.

www.jonrouston.co.uk/

Saturday 2 June 2007

Unfortunately this one is neither witty nor engaging, but at least I finally got round to writing to something

Good evening, I hope you're well. Apologies that I've not written for a while, but to be honest with the recent workload I've barely had time to respond to my fan mail.

Unfortunately the lack of blog activity is representative of a lack of Rally activity, which will need to change soon in order to get this show on the road.

Having said that, today has been a good day. You'll soon be able to read our first article after Jon Rouston from the Left Lion agreed to interview us. With the car out of reach and no other suitable props for the photo shoot we had to use our imagination, in the end settling for the obvious settings of a childrens' playground and a scrapyard. It was an awesome day out, and hopefully we'll have some photos and a bit of good publicity as well.

We also received our first response to our begging letters. One of our obvious targets was Halford's and we were holding out for something big. So when the package dropped through the letterbox this morning, we were understandably giddy with excitement. Oli ripped off the packaging like a greedy little tyke, eyes bulging with anticipation... it was soon clear that it wasn't the lego space station he was after. In fact, not only was it not the lego space station, but it wasn't even a sodding spanner, which would have at least been of some use. No, Mr Halford decided that what would really help us get to Mongolia was a healthy dose of spray on fabric protector and rub on alloy wheel protector. Interesting.

However, we do thank them for at least acknowledging our letter and to be fair if it was sent by someone with a good sense of humour, then fair play, it did make us chuckle. Additionally, if anyone is after these products, we will happily part with them for a small charitable donation.

Anyway, I'll try and update you again soon. Please feel free to comment and slag Oli off, it would keep us amused. Also please go to the charity page and donate some money.