Cvwoc's Weblog

Mince Pie Cruise 29th January 2012

cvwoc — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:52:27 +0000

The day dawned following a nice bright Saturday the day before, to present us with 8 octas cloud cover and the promise or rain later. Well, later became sooner and by the time, I arrived at Chiverton Cross an around 11.50 it was raining steadily and had turned quite chilly too.

It soon became apparent that at Chiverton it was turning into a ‘what a Bay day’ with three Bay’s joining me all of them having had work completed in the days and hours leading up to the off. One with an MOT passed a couple of days previously but with a lack of indicators, one with a dodgy fueling problem and the third seemingly in good fettle!

We headed off at about 12.35 and made our way to the Blue Anchor at Fraddon where we were joined by the Bodmin contingent a handful of T4s a Ghia and Georges Split.

At around 1.40 we set off heading towards Wadebridge and then across County via Camelford to Launceston. At Wadebridge we were joined by three others and a few miles from destination three more making our total exceed 20 vehicles, a super turn out for the first event of the year.

Once parked in the pub car park we made our way in and we were ushered to the upstairs room where an excellent buffet was laid out with plenty of tea and coffee to go around too. I reckon we had a better feed that we were presented with at the Xmas dinner last year lol.

A good couple of hours of quality natter time whilst enjoying the food was the order of the day and the consensus of opinion was that Tom, the organiser of the event had done a stonking job.

So well done to you Tom and of course Amy for getting the course and the venue sorted. You did so well Tom, yopu will probably now become cruise organiser in chief.

Looking forward to the next event already.

Norman

Wonder how long this chap will live

cvwoc — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 11:23:42 +0000

Link received via a S.American radio amateur so footage taken somewhere in S.America I assume.
Well worth looking at.

Could be Brian Burrows practicing for his charity ride from John O Groats to Lands End in April of course!

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=2592921105655

Worrying thought for 2012

cvwoc — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 21:36:47 +0000

A worrying thought for 2012 !

10 years ago Bob Hope died

5 years ago Johnny Cash died

A couple of months ago Steve Jobs died

A few weeks ago Jimmy Saville died

Now we have no Hope, no Cash, no Jobs and nobody left to Fix It

Let’s hope nothing happens to Ed Balls!

White Golf Mk1 Cabriolet unfiniushed project for sale

cvwoc — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 12:54:08 +0000

The picture of the Golf shows it in its current state and, will give you an idea of the work required. More detailed pix are available should anyone require to see them.

Project – White Golf Clipper Cabrio convertible for renovation.

MoT until 4th April 2012.
Although the car is stripped down, all the parts are stored and available.

£500 ono.

Contact: Helene Pridmore,
Halgarrack Farm,
Barripper,
Nr. Camborne,
TR14 0PH, tel.

01209 831254. Email: andrewhousehc.”

Kind regards,

Helene Pridmore,

T4 Transporter – 02 plate

cvwoc — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 16:30:08 +0000

Received via Alex Whatley 10/1/12

FOR SALE

VW transporter T4 window van
2.5TDi automatic on 02 plate
43500 miles
12 months tax and MOT
Cannons forge rock and roll bed, curtains etc
Well looked after van

£5500

For details call – Dave Payne
01326 212904
07551 624725

Tunnel revealed after 67 years, Great Escape

cvwoc — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 12:03:07 +0000

Untouched for almost seven decades, the tunnel used in the Great Escape has finally been unearthed.

The 111-yard passage nicknamed Harry by Allied prisoners was sealed by the Germans after the audacious break-out from the PoW camp Stalag Luft III in western Poland.

Despite huge interest in the subject, encouraged by the film starring Steve McQueen, the tunnel remained undisturbed over the decades because it was behind the Iron Curtain and the Soviet authorities had no interest in its significance.

Unearthed: The entrance to the tunnel, which lay untouched for almost seven decades

But at last British archaeologists have excavated it, and discovered its remarkable secrets.

Many of the bed boards which had been joined together to stop it collapsing were still in position. And the ventilation shaft, ingeniously crafted from used powdered milk containers known as Klim Tins, remained in working order. Scattered throughout the tunnel, which is 30ft below ground, were bits of old metal buckets, hammers and crowbars which were used to hollow out the route.

A total of 600 prisoners worked on three tunnels at the same time. They were nicknamed Tom, Dick and Harry and were just 2ft square for most of their length.

It was on the night of March 24 and 25, 1944, that 76 Allied airmen escaped through Harry. Barely a third of the 200 prisoners many in fake German uniforms and civilian outfits and carrying false identity papers who were meant to slip away managed to leave before the alarm was raised when escapee number 77 was spotted.

Tunnel vision: A tunnel reconstruction showing the trolley system, tried out, below, by Frank, 89

Bitter-sweet memories: Gordie King, 91, made an emotional return to Stalag Luft III

Only three made it back to Britain. Another 50 were executed by firing squad on the orders of Adolf Hitler, who was furious after learning of the breach of security.

In all, 90 boards from bunk beds, 62 tables, 34 chairs and 76 benches, as well as thousands of items including knives, spoons, forks, towels and blankets, were squirrelled away by the Allied prisoners to aid the escape plan under the noses of their captors.

Although the movie might suggest otherwise, no Americans were involved in the actual operation. Most were British and the others were from countries including Canada, Poland and Australia.

Discoveries: The site of the tunnel, recently excavated by British archaeologists

War classic: Steve McQueen on the set of the classic movie, The Great Escape

The latest dig, over three weeks in August, located the entrance to Harry, which was originally concealed under a stove in Hut 104. The team also found another tunnel, called George, whose exact position had not been charted. It was never used as the 2,000 prisoners were forced to march to other camps as the Red Army approached in January 1945. Watching the excavation was Gordie King, 91, an RAF radio operator, who was 140th in line to use Harry and therefore missed out. This brings back such bitter-sweet memories, he said as he wiped away tears. Im amazed by what theyve found.

Humor from the troops – Great!

cvwoc — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 12:22:37 +0000

I haven’t seen many of these before. Goes to show the troops have not lost their sense of humor!

LOVE THIS ONE!!

Before if becomes just a memory – A little bit of Xmas cheer

cvwoc — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 12:30:36 +0000

Should cheer every body up and raise a smile

A little bit of Christmas cheer

Message from Brian Burrows Re – JOHN O’ GROATS TO LAND’S END (1,000 MILES) ON MOPEDS

cvwoc — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 12:26:58 +0000

Subject: BEGGING EMAIL – JOHN O’ GROATS TO LAND’S END (1,000 MILES) ON
MOPEDS

Hi guys,

I normally wouldn’t do this, but it’s for a really great cause – so I’d
be really grateful if you could please take a couple of minutes to read
this.

Between April 6th and 13th I’ll be joining around 160 VW enthusiasts
and riding a 50cc moped from John O’ Groats to Land’s End in aid of
Brad’s Cancer Foundation.

I’m financing my trip myself so every penny of any donations will go
directly to the charity.

I’m hoping each of you can commit to sponsoring me for £5 – more would
be nice, but a fiver would be great – and make a huge difference to the
lives of some great kids.

I know cash is tight and everyone is busy, but please take some time to
read the details below.

If you can help please just reply to this email, if you can’t help, no
worries, just click ‘delete’. The cash won’t need to be paid until the
beginning of April by the way.

I know we all normally groan when we get requests for ‘sponsorship’ -
so, I’ll understand if you can’t help.

Thanks for reading.

Kind regards, Merry Christmas and a very happy 2012.

Brian Burrows

JOGLE 4 BRAD’S – VW ENTHUSIASTS ON 50cc MOPEDS!!!

Following an online discussion about long journeys on mopeds, a thread
was started on Volkszone.com (VW) forums asking if anyone would be
interested in a charity run from John O’Groats to Lands End – on 50cc
motorbikes!

Threads/Details:

http://www.volkszone.com/VZi/showthread.php?t=723339

http://www.volkszone.com/VZi/showthread.php?t=714873

As foolhardy an idea as it might appear, soon enough people started
putting their names down and it has snowballed from there.

There are now the best part of 160 riders and ‘support’ (following in
VW Camper Vans) signed up and bearing in mind most only ‘know’ each
other via the forums, it should prove for some interesting interaction
- especially as the forums have some strong characters who have butted
heads online previously.

We fully expect the trip to be full of ‘adventure’, dramas, comedy
moments and the unexpected. The trip includes a visit to Nottingham
City Hospital where the Brad’s charity has kitted out a ward for
teenage cancer sufferers.

The premise is simple, meet at John O’Groats in Scotland on the 6th
April 2012 where we will rally together that evening at the John O’
Groats Campsite ready for the off on the (early) morning of Saturday
7th April 2012.

Over the following week, we aim to cover around 1,000 miles to Lands
End in Cornwall while raising money for the Brads Cancer Foundation
along the way.

BRAD’S CANCER FOUNDATION WEBSITE: http://www.brads.org.uk/

JOGLE4BRADS FACEBOOK PAGE:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jogle-4-Brads/150872894986362

The whole journey will culminate in a weekend VW Camper Festival
(again, with proceeds going to Brads) – please see:
http://www.vwaction.com/vwactionsw/index.php

—————————————————————————
We wish Brian well and look forward to seeing how well he survived the trip as mopeds don’t have hide upholstery, air conditioning and all the creature comforts his large Chrysler provides……………bet he will be knackered with a capital K!
—————————————————————————-

New cvwoc.co.uk site is now live

cvwoc — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 13:06:10 +0000

The re-vamped site is now live and waiting for your first visit. Managed to get there before the Christmas break.

Make sure you register as a site user by completing the sign up in the top right hand side of the page.
You will then receive new post notifications automatically.

As you will see some pages are not yet populated fully. This is where you come in. We are seeking content
from our members to fill the pages and make the Club that much more interactive and personal to each member.
It is always difficult to keep sites fresh when just the one person adds content. Of course we ask you to send items for inclusion to us first as we do not want unsuitable content to appear un-vetted as junior members will visit the pages too!

You will now find that all Contact us boxes actually function where they did not with the old site. The contacts page enables you to get in touch with every Committee member who has an e.mail address; the membership page will automatically go to the membership secretary and so on.

There is a list of planned events with details of the Committee member responsible for the arrangement of the activity should you wish to contact them. Plenty of photographs are already in place, galleries will follow and, we ask you to send in any of your own pictures you would like to share with others be they of your own car, bus, van pickup or, people pics taken at a VW event of course. Please re size the pics to no greater than 640 x 480 and in .jpg format please.

Comments can be left on all posts and pages once you have registered as a subscriber but will be checked for suitability before authoring their inclusion on the site, just in case the comment is too contentious for publication lol.

http://cvwoc.co.uk

Hope you enjoy the new interactivity into the future.

Don’t forget there is also a Jamboree site http://cvwoc-jamboree.com

Norman and the Committee of CVWOC