Christmas run - thanks

The day was bright and shiny,
The cars stretched on for miles,
The only thing larger than the turnout,
Were the owner’s smiles.
A Christmas run was to be undertaken,
Cruising to the beach and pub,
Putting miles on the cars,
Sharing beers and grub.
When but a third of the way through,
A rear tyre of mine let go,
It exploded with impressive force,
With no warning don’t you know?
My Club mates saw that I was pissed,
They dove in without pause,
Offering assistance, nuts and a spare wheel,
All donated to the cause.
For my rear tyres are quite large,
I only carry one spare,
I needed two of similar size,
To get me home from there.
But my spare was looking sad,
I’d not seen it for some time,
It looked a bit old and sadly weathered,
A long way from sublime.
One member saw the markings,
And before our eyes,
Polished them off on the spot,
I couldn’t contain my surprise!
I don’t really remember morning tea,
My mind was not quite there,
Worried about the trip ahead,
And if it would add to my despair.
About 20 kilometres later,
I could hear my spare letting go,
I pulled over and was loaned another spare,
My frustration to exponentially grow.
My Club mates were there again,
Pitching in and helping out,
Making the transition go much faster,
They know what they’re about.
About 10 kilometres later,
The tyres I decided to check,
Pulling into the next service station,
What the blooming heck?
One of the other spares was deflating,
So I added a little air,
The valve stem started whistling,
And I tore out my hair.
So, I changed the wheel yet again,
Limped home with a mate behind,
Making sure we got home OK,
A nicer bloke you’ll not find.
We changed cars to the family Ford,
Not the same as the old XW,
But at least it’s not possessed by EVIL,
And its tyres are new.
So, the morals of this tragic tale?
When travelling from here to there,
Ensure that you are well prepared,
And carry a reliable spare.
(Or two, in my case.)
But the most telling fact of all,
Only Club people understand,
Is that when you’re at your lowest,
Someone will always lend a hand.
Many thanks go to my Club mates,
You’re really a great group,
People who’re there when you’re at your best,
Or when you’re in the soup.

Many thanks to everyone who helped out last weekend – you’re a great group of people. From the helping to change wheels, to the loaning of wheels, to the support – thanks.

I have since gotten two new tyres. Apparently, the 255/60/HR15 size is quite rare now. After 5 calls to tyre places in town, only Bob Jane could find any – there’s only 11 left in Oz now. So, I have two new Yokohamas, at $281 each, thankyou. Eventually, I’ll need to make the decision to stick with them and import them through a company, or change to other wheels and tyres. I’ll procrastinate on that, though.

Have a great break, everyone – you deserve the best.

Cheers
G