Brunel Newsletter No 186 - March 2017

42 The Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, The Universe, and Everything

All change and no change.Whilst Andy decided to step down at the AGM I believe the way the group has been run throughout his period as leader has been ideal and suits our group well, so why would I want to change it?I don't!We have a strong Social Committee with Elf Harris supported by Derek Lee, and Derek Roberts, Roddy Halliwell does an admirable job of controlling the accounts, and Bob Sackley is looking forward to welcoming new members to the group.On top of that I am well aware that other members play an active part in the group as typified by the Matthew Talk and visit we enjoyed last year.If I am treading on anyone's toes or you think I'm letting something drift please just let me know.

I will take this opportunity to welcome Michael Bambridge from Frampton Cotterell and Jeremy Hann from Midsomer Norton who both recently joined the TR Register.It would be good to see you at the Jubilee Inn on Wednesday evening.

As you already know, along with Tim Carr and several others I am biased towards events involving various ways of testing our cars (and drivers) to the limits on strips of tarmac, but will always help support the other events we hold as they are key to most of the group, and hopefully I will make it to a few more.

The Brunel Group website is now reasonably up together and the TR Register are encouraging groups to make more use of it, which is fine, but I am conscious that some members choose not to surf the internet on a regular basis so I propose to continue in Andy's footsteps and issue a regular newsletter by email, covering:

1. Group Leader Ramblings

2. Contact details for the group's officers

3. An agenda for the next meeting

4. A full events calendar showing items we are, or maybe attending

5. List of group contacts

If you want to see anything else please let me know.

The events calendar distinguishes between events we are attending and those we are thinking about by putting a Lead Member against those we are attending, and for events over multiple days the members name will be against the day(s) we are attending.This list is also on the Diary page of our website, with more details of events we are attending on the Events page.

The contacts list at the end of this newsletter was created from various discussions and the handouts at the AGM where members indicated they were happy to be included.For everyone not at the AGM could you please email me with the details you are content to share with other Brunel group members.This list will be circulated to group members as part of the emailed newsletter, but will not be included with the newsletter on the website.

On the social side, arrangements for the Jersey trip are making good progress but it would be good if members could contact Elf to say if they are, or maybe going on the trip.We also need to firm up arrangements on the Kings Weston House trip at the next meeting, so please bring thoughts to the next meeting or email Elf if you will not be there.

This month I just managed to send in our report for TR Action by the deadline so hopefully you will see something familiar, last month I missed the deadline by a few days but I think the TR Register office let me off as it was my first.I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by.

So with continued homage to the late Douglas Adams in the title of this newsletter I will sign off.

Dave

For those who remain completely mystified by the titles of the last two newsletters, it is clear that at least Andy and I share an interest in Douglas Adams.The titles are quotations from his science fiction trilogy of four books (following the successful radio series) concerning why the universe exists, starting with The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Universe.The astonishing answer to the question was 42, but why?We need to know the question so we could understand the answer.So the planet Earth was created to find the question.But the Philosophers across the universe could see their careers coming to an end so the Philosophers Union arranged for the Earth to be destroyed by the Vogons on the pretext they were making way for a hyperspace bypass.So we are none the wiser!

So what does all that have to do with a Brunel TRs?Lots:

1. The first Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy radio broadcast was in 1978 – the year the TR8 was launched

2. 42 is the exact number of cylinders you have when you line up seven TR6s

3. 42 is the length of the tacho cable for a RHD TR

4. The radio series was an absolute triumph, and we all know the absolute triumph is a TR

5. Douglas Adams was born the same year as me.