HotNight

35˚C yesterday and into 40˚C today

… and not even January yet! Pretty warm for the time of year, even down here, where everything is moving at snails-pace (except for last minute Christmas shopping!)

Christmas down here is, of course, the main summer-holiday season, so everything stops from about a week ago until somewhere at the beginning-to-middle of February, depending on what business you are trying to get hold of!

This means that I also am waiting on parts from suppliers, post (that has almost totally stopped!) and almost all communication, apart from (mostly automated) Christmas greetings of one sort or another. I have been busy making batches of soap and my ‘Christmas Special’ Cherry, Chili and Chocolate jam, which get distributed amongst friends and family at this time (I do so prefer making things for presents, rather than joining the squeeze and push of the shopping-ma(u)ls in town…quite apart from the commercial pressure!)

And so another year is drawing to a close and I am still drawing parts, ready for production in the new year! There is plenty going on in the background in preparation for when the foundries and others crank up again for 2013, and negotiations in place for overseas production of a few small parts that are uneconomical to have made here (as there are massive price- and minimum-order- differences, unfortunately) I am still awaiting samples and will decide whether to go ahead with that in small batches on closer inspection of said parts!

Stacked up for the beginning of the year are stainless headlamp-brackets, stainless rear-mudguard-stays (for KSS initially), top links for Webb forks for all years of MAC, MSS and KSS, top and bottom yokes for Webb heavyweight girders from about ’36 to ’47, the rear stand for all Rigid Velocette models after ’36, rear lamp ‘star’ pressings in stainless and real glass for the same… that should take me up until somewhere near Easter!

In the meantime, probably until after Christmas (a whole two days away??), I’ll be wishing everyone a restful break from the day-to-day goings-on in their lives.

Have a heart for all those who soldier on regardless during the ‘holidays’, like paramedics, doctors, nurses, police, fire and other emergency- and necessary-services, and spare a thought also for all those working in retail, who have to put up with all those bad-tempered customers in such a hurry at Christmas!

I shall be drawing and fiddling in the workshop (as far as ‘family’ duties allow!), assuming that we don’t have much more than 40˚…

Enjoy!

© peter gouws 2012

Made on a mac