Tocumwal, Public Library on January 4 2013.

ritzdeluy@hotmail.com     www.soaringcafe.com     www.glidinginternational.com

Wel,….l here I am …..AND….live! It has cost me some investigation,  but now I am just fine and on the best spot in town with airco and all kind people from town walking in and lovely helpful ladies behind the desk. Tocumwal still is the place to be as other then I thought the last daysd internet and WIFI here are top and available for ALL without cost. What about that!!!!

I found out that writing in word to publish that later is not my “cup of tea”. I need to feel the “connection”, so I feel pleased to have virtual contact with you now.
I will publish some pictures as well in the other blogs.
These blogs are more for readers who have been here in Toc as the diary is mostly from Toc.-people and the guests at the airport. Sorry to the other readers but I will continue my look on soaring and specially on Chaves on www.soaringcafe.com

So what happened yesterday on January 3.
By now you now that it was a bit of a sad day for me, but very weird it did not feel like it.I started early by making pictures during Eddies briefing, where as I said yesterday already, the briefing room was so full , that pilots had to wait in the door. No worries and great for Eddie and Cheryl.
The day was going to be rather good but not a top day! Temperatures at Mildura with 40 dgr. here in Toc., it was 38 but it felt hotter.

 

Some of Eddies guests.Hirotaka Ishimaru and Shota Eura,Rolf Buelther who kindly always informs me with news from the Geelong Gliding Club  and Greg Maggs.

And nice to catch up with Anders who  dropped in from Corowa for a few minutes. Nothing changed there, still the same big happy smile!

I was grateful to Dundee to get day 1 and 2 -news on but we had to go through a lot of trouble. I had to use his laptop and copy and paste twice and pictures had to be put on a stick etc. I spare you the details!

After I had a nice lunch with Linda who lives in Monte Carlo and is here for soaring also in Corowa , while Chris her husband flew the LS 4. We did some shopping in Lynnes Antique shop, place to be for tea and Dutch apple cake and to buy what ever you want, had a coffee in Chrissies Book Lounge and back to the airport to collect the beers from Dundees fridge.

Off to the cemetery where we had with some friends a really good get-together, drinking VB on Dennis at 5. After we visited all our friends who are there as well, as Hadley, Jeff, Old Jim, Dessie,Andrew and Maureen.All got their share in the VB-ceremony.

Off to the airfield again, where I made some pictures from the vintage toys from Ken. He is going somewhere to Adelaide for a vintage competition, not taking the Olympia but the Slingsby T 21.It was very warm to de-rig such a glider!!!

   

Caught up with Werner Meuser who flies Ingo’glider here for a week, and his wife. When I checked if they had heard Markku Kuittinen had died they both looked stunned. No they had not and were very sorry to hear this bad news. Of course both remember Markku from many comps.My friends from soaring cafe have already published their sadness as well.
This is was I got from Pasi from Finland on my question what happened.
—“I think his heart just gave away. Half a year ago his wife died also to the heart attack. So sad.–”
Indeed it is sad, we lost a fantastic pilot and friend and sorry to hear that his wife passed away earlier did n’t know that either.

Ingo , werner and his wife.

Off to dinner than to catch up with Bill and Judy Harvey and Bob and Marg Smith Hetty.A long day but even with the sad note a good one. A pity Inge could not be here!

Bill and Judy.

Ritz Tocumwal diary day 2.

 

It’s January 2 and I get a bit frustrated as I can not find WIFI or internet. I asked around in town, talking to the different people, but with so many people visiting town at the moment, it’s not only me complaining but everyone else as well. But ,…the difference between them and me; they stay pretty calm under it. Should do that too.

A bit of a hectic morning, going to Cobram – about 10 k. from Toc.] to find new red gum chips for Dennis grave. In the end we found it and Dundee helped me to put it on to have it all ready for tproblem she offered to let me use her mobile phone as a LINK TO WIFI. Quickly I could read some of my messages but still about 100 to go.

                                                      Georgie to the left with her sister Rosie.

 

Was very sad to read about the death from Markku Kuittinen. I met him at several WGS’s and he won 2 of them. Jari will be here soon, so I will ask him more.omorrow. Lunch with Deslee at Chrissies Book Lounge,  where we were served by Chrissies daughter Georgie.  Georgie happened to work a lot for us in the past helping out in the restaurant and doing a great job. She still does now during her  holiday and is just a great girl. Straight away , when she heard from my

In the main street I caught up with Ken Ueyama, driving the most beautiful red vintage Mercedes. He is here to fly his 2 vintage toys.

Later at Sportaviation it was lovely to catch up with Chris and Linda Davison, who visited us in the past as well. Chris will fly here for a few days in the LS 4 and in the weekend they travel to Corowa again, to fly during his last week in Australia the ASH 31.

Another well known face was that from Peter Rafael. He still drives his little “moped”, to bring his Woodstock to the field. He does so since I met him in 1984.

 

In the evening we sat outside for pizza’s at my hostess Margies house and at 9 I dived in my bed , still struggling heaps with jet lag.

Here I am FINALLY!!!!!!

I work at the moment on Dundees computer in his little house at the field. I write in word on MY laptop and then copy and paste it on to a stick and from the stick on Dundees computer to then copy and paste it on my blog. The most difficult way of writing ever!!!!#

So sorry about that , but you see I try at least to keep the blog going.

It will be in a diary form with every day.news. Surely with some help from experts it will be easier over the next days which are gloing to be hot!!! Enjoy day 1 on tghe first day of this year 2013.

Ritz Tocumwal diary on January 1 2013.

HAPPY 2013.

 

January 1; Finally time to write [in word] and then I still hope I can send it to my blog. Internet is more or less a disaster here in this small town with a population of about 2000, with an extra 6000- plus people stay/camp at the Murray river. When talking to one of the pilots this morning he said the best time to send it out is at 4 in the morning and then he sends it by mobile. And,..with not sleeping to well with jetlag, I try that. It took me 2 hours to try to get through to Holland to wish my family all the best for this new year, but after some frustration I then gave up. Tomorrow is another day.

The trip with KLM/China Southern via Ghuangzhou was easy enough and with nearly no sleep on board, I managed to feel still fit, waiting in row for customs at Melbourne airport. It always feels like coming home. After 25 flights up and down , it could n’t be different is n’t it?

I spend the night in Melbourne and travelled the next day by train to Tocumwal [ the best and easiest way] and that’s really “coming home”. Nicely in time to catch up with local and soaring-friends , to have a few hours rest and to spend the change in the new year with friends I know all my Tocumwal life. Even had time to say hello to the Geelong guests having their summer camp at the aerodrome of Tocumwal.

The airfield looks good! Sportaviation’s owners Eddie and Cheryl worked hard to make the camping area a “lust for the eye”. New plants , lot’s of native trees , it ‘s all there! And yes that “Hilton-look-alike-toilet-bloc” is still the very best I have ever seen on a camping ground. Good to see young Jake is not only pushing gliders anymore , but he is a tuggie now flying the Euro-fox. Eddie has 2 of them, one with a tail wheel. 2 Years ago Jake ‘s goal was to take over Eddie’s business , being a tuggie now he wants to be an airline pilot. Talking about airline pilots and tuggies, Most of you will remember Simon Close, yes son from former Sportavia co-owners [with Don and Joan] Jeff and Margie. We took over after them. Simone just flew his first flight as an airline captain last week. Another young and successful former tuggie!

It was nice to catch up with Gerrit and John “Butch” and their wives Pam. Did n’t see them for quite a while. They stay about 3 weeks in Toc. Blue day here, this first one of 2013,but nearly all pilots went out to fly, as tomorrow will be less good and then a new cycle starts, hopefully bringing some more great weather for the many pilots from the Geelong Gliding club, The Riverina Gliding club and the Sportaviation pilots.It will be going up to over 40 dgr.

Off to town to find a spot with internet!!!! Missing what’s going on in the world and our own gliding world, specially what’s going on in Chaves.