Wedding

In order to stop this becoming the MOnster Truck blog I thought I should write something quickly!

On saturday Chris and I drove 2 hours into the bush to attend the wedding of Chris' collegue Mike. It was our first Ozzy wedding, so we were very excited. The drive up was beautiful, coming through the great Diving Ranges and some rainforest and seeing lots of little tiny Australian towns. When we arrived at the hotel we were staying at I was quite shocked as it was a beautiful looking golf resort with 2 swimming pools, a gym and a sauna- all in the middle of no where! I needn't have got too exicted though as the rooms and facilities did not live up to this description. THe room was motel esque and the pools were old and dirty. I might have got in the outdoor one if I had had my bathers but there was NO WAY i would have got in the indoor one! Anyway, it was an ok place for one night, all we really did was sleep there.

THe wedding was just over th road in a revamped village hall. It was quite a small affair so Chris and I felt very priveledged to be there. The service itself was outside, which was lovely, except for the fact that the temperature rose to the high 30s and swarms of flies kept attacking us. Luckily I think the bride must have covered herself in fly spray as they stayed away from her.

The reception afterwards was inside the hall with outside caterers. The food was lovely but a little starnge! The main course was a COLD Sunday roast with added cold meats etc. THere was cold baked spuds, cold roatsed pumpking, cold roast beef and EVEN cold yorkshire puds, (the groom was ENglish and these were a special request apparantly!). I couldn't quite come to terms with the cold vegies but the rest I did fine with and desrt made up for any dissapointment as it was a selection of gorgeous cakes, biscuits and fruits- very yummy!

The evening was lots of fun, even though I didn't know anyone. THere was dancing, lots of drinking and even the speeches weren't bad. When we eventually deciede to leave the party the walk back over the road was funny as there was NO moon and it was pitch pitch black. Although for us it was pretty uneventful (but a little scary) another of the guests said they came face to face with a kangeroo when they walked home!

The morning after we were a bit worse for wear but we still enjoyed a lovely reakfast and toook an alternative route home- down a single track, un concreted path through the rain forest- very beautiful. A great weekend had by all.
Love Helen

tearing up the freeway....

How much fun is this monster truck?


I had an hour or two spare yesterday, so I ventured out to try and find a new spot to run the car. I headed over to the new mitcham - frankston freeway, an enormous ongoing construction not far from home, and found a great spot where there was no no-entry barriers.


Big bertha tore that place up like it was wet tissue paper - nothing was a barrier, even a 40ft pile of dirt - straight to the top without hesitation! I found a spot that was perfect for pulling huge jumps, and kept pushing the limits, until I snapped the aerial in half. I was stunned that was all I managed to break this time! This really is a tough little truck.


Below is the aftermath. I think I have a little bit of cleaning up to do.... very satisfying though. Reminds me of the days when I had my jeep and used to get it stuck in all kinds of mud holes and steep hills!


I want to get some better video of Bertha going, so watch this space...

All is not well....

I am not a happy camper.

I chatted today with a colleague of mine who, as it happens, has a monster truck too, and we decided as it was friday tomorrow, and we were both going to be in the office, to bring our little toys into work and have a buzz around the car park at lunch time.

So, with the need of preparedness, I ventured out this evening (and fine evening it was too) to finish up the process of tuning BB (Big Bertha - as helen seems to have christened it). All was well, I had got the fuel mixture just right and she was going hell for leather - I reckon about 65kph was reached, and then disaster.

You see, because I was tuning it up, I was running it without the body shell in place. Little did I know that whilst aesthetically pleasing, it also serves as protection for all the important parts - and in this case, the engine.

About 50 feet away, I pulled a tight turn, skidding on the gravel, and I completely underestimated the distance to a kerb, and whack, I hit it a full tilt, sending bertha a good 5 feet into the air, spinning like a chinese death star, and landing very heavily on the engine, that was running at about 25,ooo rpm. Hmmmm clever boy.

I ruefully made my way home, with my tail between my legs, and proceeded to strip the truck down. What a mess, the sheer force of the impact had bent the whole chassis, and part of the transmission too.

So as soon as this is posted, I am heading into my workshop to try and get her working again. I have my honour to protect here, I have to have at least a small chance of kicking my colleague's ass tomorrow!

Tearfully yours,

C

First run of Big Bertha

Helen's first drive, women drivers, hey???!!! Not very fast here, as fuel running very rich as it is running in still.

Too bloomin hot!

Just as a short update to my previous post- it is too flippin hot!! Temperatures reached a hot and sticky 39 degrees today. The hottest day in November since the 50s or something stupid like that. I was working in a gym with no aircon and me and the kids were close to passing out at the end of the day!

How ridiculous to think that this time a week ago it was snowing!

It is now starting t o rain a little and get windy. It kind of feels like standing under a hair drier with someone flicking water at you! With any luck 'the change' will hit before bed time and it will be somewhat cooler!

suppose I should count my blessings that I'm not in the freezin cold uk!
LOve Helen***

It is FINISHED!!!

wow, it's finally complete. My monster truck is run-in, painted and ready to rock and roll.

I had so much fun building it, I feel like buying another now!! (just kidding, Helen!)

I plan to take it into work this week and show it off the my mates, and some have suggested I get a new body for this one, and paint it up with the company logo and colours, then take it along to company trade shows as a bit of a gimmick! Who knows, anything to get a tax rebate!, anyhow, here she is....

next project please....

C

Ridiculous weather!

Australia is in the midst ofthe 'oddest' weather we've had since arriving. Even in Melbourne, where 4 seasons in 1 day is the norm, this is getting ridiculous! Last weekend we had high humidity and thunder storms. Mid week the temperature droped down into the low teens during the day and 4/5 degrees at night and then it rained, hailed and even snowed in the hills! THere was a man on the news skiing to work and he only lives about half an hour away from us! Now, on Saturday the temperature is looking to be heading for the 30s and I am desperately hunting out my shorts. Honestly, I don't know if I'm coming or going. I keep washing winter clothes to put away but then having to wear them, again!

So now I'm off to enjoy this burst of summer- before winter arrives again mid-week!
Love Helen

Monster Truck Monster Truck Monster Truck!!

Hey hey, I have finally completed the building of my little project - the monster truck!

I came up witht he idea to buy one of these in kit form, ooh probably about May time this year, and I had been saving up my little $2 coins in my Jim Beam bottle for about 9 months I think, and had managed to tot up about $600 in that time!

So, after doing endless hours of research into it decided to invest in the HPI Savage Monster Truck, it seemed a bit of a legend in its own right, and the news was that they were going to release the truck in kit form! happy days!

I was told that it would be released in mid-August. It came and went. As did mid-September. After all my frustration, it finally arrived in stock on 23rd October.

And here we are, just over 2 weeks later and she's finished! All that has to be done is to do the paint job, get some fuel in her and fire her up!

The paint job is the next big project - and I have graciously stepped to one side and asked my dear wife to carry out the task. And the suggested colour scheme is in the style of the Richmond Tigers! Black and Gold..... Should look good I hope....

Anyhow, here she is without her clothes on....
More updates soon....

see ya

C

Guy Fawkes Night Aussie Style

Wow what a great evening....

We decided a few weeks back to have a little celebration for Guy Fawkes as is the tradition in ole blighty, so we did it in style, al fresco, an a warm spring night - all those years in england, it invariably buckets it down, is cold, and generally pretty miserable... but tonight was great fun, sparkler bomb and all.....

the cheese fondue was to die for, as was the english treacle tofee and toasted marshmallows on the fire.... This is Owen, Angela (from Cumbria) and Jodie....

Much fun was had by all....

C

Deadly encounter

Pheweee.

I have just emerged from an encounter I certainly do not want to repeat, thank you very much.

Just pulling up on our driveway, and Helen spotted it - a full grown female Red Back spider. Ewww. The little blighters are pretty poisonous, and without antivenom can lead to death. However, they only have very small fangs and often when they bite don't even pierce the skin.

That doesn't detract form the fear response they produce in me when i am close to one.

The picture above is not very representative - normally they have quite long legs, but this was after I had shot half a can napalm on it, hence why everything is distorted. Oh its good to be at the top of the food chain.

The red back doesn't just eat 'little' things - they regularly capture things that are many times larger - check this out - it is a 3.5inch lizard. She'll dine out on this for weeks!

This is one thing england is better at - no hideous deadly spiders.

Squeemishly contemplating lunch now....

Chris