Members present

Andy & Jennie Holyoak

Colin & Ann Skinner

Tim & Kathryn Sharp

Ben & Lisa Ward

John & Chris Day

Andy & Clare Moltu

Ruth & Tony Richards

Martin & Sue Faulkner

Reg & Irene Bowler

John & Margaret Martin

Roger Guy

Pete Garlick

Dick Goodey

Peter & Heather Hodgson

Andrew & Corinne Burford

Phil Gunn

David Guzzetta

Steve Lambley

Barrie Cooper

John Edwards

And we would like to welcome new members, Roger & Carol Corbitt

Meeting notes

Important request

We now post out to nine members. If any of those members now have access to an email address, will they please please let us know the details so we can save the club funds from printing and postage costs.

Quiz

The February meeting was given over mainly to a quiz this month following a very brief meeting agenda from our esteemed leader. As ever, there was much heckling and, we suspect, lots and lots of cheating (as if!!!).

The Crap Team won first with 38. I would have put first prize but no prize was forthcoming. Boo … specially as we were on that team (absolutely NO cheating from us, of course)!

Fantastic fun and a great way to spend a Thursday evening in February. Plus it brought in a few more pounds towards our favourite charity for 2007, Marie Curie.

Social Scene

David Guzzetta started his stint as Social Scene Scribe with a bang. What a fantastic article. A natural writer. More …… (please).

Subs

This is your last warning chaps! All those who’ve not paid their subs by the end of February will discontinue receiving TRipe - ooh er missus!

Subs are £15 per couple. Please pay Rachael (via Phil). If you’re paying by cheque, please make it payable to Leicestershire TR Group.

Thanks J

Stoneleigh Triumph Spares Day

This was on 10^th February and quite a lot of members went along for a rummage and a bit of a lads day out.

Martin W told us he had a couple of problems with his tailgate on the Triumph 2000 Estate - like it flying open without warning (once on each journey). Oh dear. He did try to say he was trying it out as an alternative to a Porsche spoiler but I think we all saw through that one! He says he’s now adjusted it and it doesn’t open - AT ALL!!

Non-Christmas Dinner

More photographic evidence later as promised last month.

Reg did a tot of up the booze consumed at our annual Christmas-ish knees-up and although we consumed lots more, the bill actually came to around £100 less than last year. No question asked eh ….. but VERY well done Reg J

There was an excess of £75 after all costs were taken out and this amount is being given to Marie Curie.

We also had a fantastic raffle this year with gazillions of prizes donated. This raised another £185 for Marie Curie.

Is someone keeping a check of what we’ve donated to Marie Curie? We think it’s a good idea to have a section within TRipe of all Marie Curie donations and have started it this month. We know there will be some donations missing so please let us know what they are at the March meeting and they will be included in March’s TRipe. Also, let us know of any other donations throughout 2007.

We all agreed to have the same venue next year. Why fix it when it ain’t broke, eh?

David G did a great job of listing out the awards in TR Action so Martin W felt there was no need to repeat it here in detail. The list in brief is:

Ø Tim (the most dangerous man in the TR Register - official as per Paul Hogan) Sharp claimed the most coveted award (?) of the Pickled Cabbage for his failure to stop the uncontrolled flow of black acrylic spray paint going all over his car. Ooops!

Ø Ruth now sports (mmmm) Rachel’s Big Knickers for wrestling, and also loosing the battle, with the black fuel hose culminating in the Stag being filled up with TRactor fuel

Ø Phil was awarded a spare oil filler cap for being too quick to think up a quip for failing to replace his own oil filler cap. He said it was because his car was filled with self changing oil. Inventive all the same!

Ø Colin & Ann Skinner came first in the “How Far In Your TR”. They covered 7,347 miles in their TR

Ø Steve Lambley was awarded a duster to clean the cars of everyone else who tried harder than him to use their cars - basically Steve got the “Not far enough” award. Steve even admitted to doing many more miles on his tandem with Kathy. Now come on, Steve, be a sport. Get that TR of yours out on the roads lad and give poor Kathy’s legs a bit of a break!

Events for 2007

See calendar at the end - completed to end June for now.

Events to be agreed or under discussion:

Ø Second stage of the Leicestershire Tour. Andy H has the route. We only did stage one last year - still a case of watch this space for a date

Ø Slot Car Challenge (LTRG v TSSC) - Andrew Burford on the case

Ø Meal at the Terracotta in Leicester - Martin W on the case

Ø LTRG v Coventry Skittles - Reg on the case

Skittles evening

Quite a lot of us met up at the Weatsheaf in Thurcaston, John & Chris Day’s local watering hole, for a fantastic evening of fun and, mostly, pretty rubbish skittling! We think there were around 26 of us in total but as neither of us are good at maths we may well be wrong! J

As always, we tried our damndest to raise some more pounds towards Marie Curie. We did this by rolling pound coins towards a bottle of rather nice Teachers Whisky. The coin which landed closest won the bottle. Andy Moltu donated the whisky - for which Ruth particularly thanks him very much (guess who won!).

There was also a game involving 20p pieces but neither Andy nor I can remember for the life of us what the heck that was all about! Suffice to say that the winners, the Moltus, won the proceeds of £5.60 which was then put into the pot with the £1s.

In total, we raised £47.60. There is also some tax evasion we can do by using Gift Aid to considerably increase this pot. We were reliably informed by those who know these things that this increases the donation by 40%, or thereabouts, by the recipients being able to avoid paying tax.

There was a shortfall in the costings for the Skittles evening. We all paid for our food but we’re still short of the lion’s share of the room hire. It was suggested that club funds cover it. This isn’t a huge amount as the room was only £25 to hire and each person paid around 50p each on top of their food.

Mallory Park Track Day

This has now been arranged for Thursday, 22^nd March. Those going need to be there before 9.10am so you can get through to the centre of the track in your vehicles.

Also, Chris Cunnington has asked if we can do the marshalling again, but this time using TR Register members only.

Slot car evening

This is now booked for Saturday 31^st March at The Station Hotel, Loughborough at 7.30pm. We’ve gone with a Saturday because TSSC always do their socialising on a Saturday.

If you need a practice, we suggest you get there a little earlier!

First Run Out

Sunday, 1^st April. This is a run out to the pub at Boughton. Names are required at the March meeting please.

Terracotta evening

Martin W is planning to organise a Saturday in late April. Names, plus deposits of £5 per head, for this also at the March meeting.

Hog Roast

Paul is planning on having a hog roast at his house sometime this year. Tickets will be £15 per head and all proceeds will go to Marie Curie. Watch this space for the date. Hope you’re not expecting it to be a gardening party, Paul!

Phone lists

The current phone list is attached. Please will you check your details are correct and let Jennie & Andy have any amendments.

“Other” dates for your diary

John & Margaret Martin kindly sent us some “other” dates for our TR diary. We’ve incorporated these into the LTRG calendar.

However, one of them is an URGENT for your diary if you’re interested as the closing date for names was, in fact, Monday/Tuesday 26/27^th February. We don’t know if this is too late but if you’re interested, we suggest you contact John & Margaret immediately. The details John gave are:

“Foxton Garden Society are trying to fill a coach to go to Monet's garden and 2 or 3 other gardens in that area of France, so if anyone is interested in joining us we leave on Monday 7th May for 4 days (3 nights) 3 star hotel, Dinner, Bed & Breakfast £249 per person. Would need to know names by Monday / Tuesday next week, 01858 465894 or John's mobile 07740 411081.”

The diary is only completed properly up to and including June. Except for the International Weekend, the only dates in for July onwards are those which John Martin gave us. A fuller diary to follow next month.

Christmas photos - more as promised. There does seem to be a bit of a “theme” going on with Reg - check it out!

Tim Collin’s latest project …